Fate From an Alley
by Katsumi Sinclair
Summary: Luffy and Ace have just moved into an apartment together in a new city. Zoro and Luffy meet in an unfortunate way, but become friends because of it, and much more than that later. ZoLu story.
1. I: Getting Lost

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

Warning(s): BxB later, semi-rape, cursing.

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><p>Confused eyes darted around their surroundings as the owner of them looked around himself utterly dumbfounded. Not that this thing hadn't occurred before, just at least before he had been to the place that he had somehow gotten himself lost at. He scratched his head and tried to make out anything familiar, but everything and every person was foreign looking. He didn't know anyone here and no one knew him.<p>

Just great. What a way to spend your first day in town. Getting yourself lost.

He remembered what Ace had told him just before he had left the apartment.

"_You can go out and look around, but be back in a few hours and try not to get lost. If you do, ask somebody, but please just don't get lost." Ace gave him a shaky smile, nervous that Luffy would be going into town by himself when they hadn't even been there for a day. _

_Luffy smiled brightly in return. "Don't worry about it! I won't get lost! I just wanna look around. Maybe they'll have some really good food here too!" _

_And, before Ace could say anything further, Luffy vanished out the door. "Heh. That kid…" With a shake of his head, Ace set back to unpacking the boxes that resided in the livingroom._

Now that Luffy recalled that small conversation, he figured he'd take Ace's advice and well ask someone. But, who to ask? And, how to go about it? There's the chance they wouldn't be able to help him find his way back home. At times like these, Luffy supposed it would have been a good idea to have a cell phone, but he never really needed one before now.

He was thankful that he at least considered remembering their address because without that, he'd be pretty screwed. Luffy looked around once more. There was a lady sitting on the bench across the street by herself. Maybe he could ask her for help? She looked nice enough. Luffy shrugged and began walking over that way.

His foot had barely left the sidewalk to cross the street when he felt a small rock bounce off of his ankle. Distracted by that, he glanced over his shoulder, wondering where it had come from. When he didn't see anything, he shrugged it off as nothing and started his trek across the street again. A slightly larger rock then rebounded off his back as it hit him. Another, even larger hit his arm, and then one more smacked him right in the face as he turned back around to see who happened to be throwing rocks at him.

The dark haired boy grunted and rubbed his face when he felt yet another rock hit him in the shoulder. Except this time, the rock was probably slightly smaller than the palm of his hand. It stung a bit as the thing collided with the bone of his shoulder, but it didn't hurt too much.

"All right, so someone's throwing rocks at me." He announced to himself. But, as he looked around, he couldn't seem to find anyone throwing rocks. People were simply walking by, minding their own business. _'Weird…'_

And then that's when Luffy finally saw it. The direction from which the rocks were being thrown from, because one just happened to be flying toward his face again and it was a pretty big rock this time. He ducked just at the rock went soaring over his head and faced the direction it came from.

Paying no mind that the direction from which the rocks were coming from happened to be an abandoned alleyway, Luffy stalked over there ever the same, brimming with the confidence that he was known to carry. He was going to find out whoever was throwing rocks at him and demand an explanation. Because you just don't throw rocks at a random person whom you do not know.

Luffy stopped just outside of the dark alleyway. "Hey! I don't know who you are, but whoever you are, it would be nice if you stopped throwing rocks at me!" Luffy scowled when he received no response. He stepped further into the alley, fully intending to find this person. "I know someone's here! I said-" Before he could continue his sentence, he was roughly pushed forward further into the alley.

Knocked off balance by the sudden shove, Luffy tripped over his sandal clad feet and fell on his bottom. "Ow…"

He felt a presence above him and looked up to find a boy around his own age smirking down at him. He wasn't able to make out the kid's entire face for the two buildings on either side of him were doing a good job at blocking out a lot of the sunlight. "So, YOU were the one throwing rocks at me?" He asked, irritation clearly heard in his voice.

The kid had his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down upon Luffy. "I didn't do anything but push you. And, I don't think I've ever seen you around here before, you looked lost back there."

Luffy's irritated mood faded into slight embarrassment. "Well, yeah, you see. I just moved here today and- h-hey!" Luffy immediately pushed himself to his feet, turning around to face another boy who now had Luffy's strawhat in his possession. "Give that back to me now." He demanded of the other boy. This one only laughed at him and twirled the hat around his finger.

"What? This ratty old thing? It looks pretty stupid to me. I wonder why you're so defensive over it." The kid smirked as he let the hat fall from his hand onto the ground. Luffy made a dash for it, but found he couldn't do much when the kid he had first met suddenly grabbed both of his arms and pulled them behind his back, restraining him.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Luffy twisted his body and pushed forward trying to pull his wrists from the boy's tight grasp.

The boy before him who had taken his hat stepped forward. "I don't think that's happening. You're pretty annoying, you know that? I think it's time someone put you in your place. You did say that you just moved here, right? Well, let us give you a welcoming to the neighborhood." He raised his foot, letting it hover over Luffy's hat that lay on the ground. Luffy struggled some more.

"Don't step on it! I'll kill you if you step on Shank's hat!"

"Oh?" The kid raised an eyebrow. "You'll kill me? Is that right? Ha! That sounded like a threat. That's not very nice, now is it?" And, without warning, he stomped his foot down on the strawhat, digging his heel into it and twisting it around on the ground. "Haha, getting worked up over such a stupid thing." He then kicked it away on the other side of the alley.

Luffy stared with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open a bit. That was Shank's hat. He couldn't let some guy he didn't even know step all over it like it was a piece of trash! But, he couldn't exactly move much either. He turned his head from the hat to the kid and glared at him. "You had no right to do that! I don't even know you! Why would you do something like that?"

"Shut up." A fist connected with Luffy's abdomen hard after the command. So hard in fact that it knocked the breath from Luffy's body for a few seconds. He gasped at the blow and his legs almost gave out from underneath him. "I don't know who you are telling me what I have and don't have the right to do. I'll do whatever I please and I'll show you firsthand what happens when someone tells me what to do." Another harsh blow was dealt to his stomach and the kid holding his arms released them. Luffy's legs buckled and he fell to the ground. "We're too close to the alley opening; bring him further in."

The boy, who had restrained Luffy, kicked Luffy in the side so hard that Luffy's body was pushed deeper into the alley. He cocked his head to the side, slipping his hands into his pockets as he watched Luffy groan and try to push his body up. "Looks like he wants to fight back." He announced to the other kid. He pressed his foot into Luffy's back and pushed down. "I wouldn't even try, kid."

"He's right, you know." The other boy crouched down in front of Luffy and Luffy glared at him again. "Hm, is someone angry with me?"

"Of course I'm angry, you bastard! I'll never forgive anyone for doing that to Shank's hat!"

The kid's eyes moved from Luffy to the other boy with his foot still pressed to Luffy's back. "Seems like he's only mad because I stepped on that hat back there." He looked back at Luffy. "You're pathetic. I hate people like you."

Luffy spit at him and he slapped the other across the face at lightning speed. "I'm going to make you wish you'd never done that." He wiped the spit from his face and stood up, stepping on Luffy's hand as he went, hearing a few cracks, but not caring in the least as Luffy screamed out at the pain. He kicked Luffy in the stomach making the boy roll over onto his back.

He leaned down and grabbed the front of Luffy's shirt, pulling the boy's body off the ground by it, and slamming Luffy's back against one of the brick buildings. The kid used his other hand to wrap around Luffy's throat as he held him up against the building. Luffy's uninjured hand instinctively came up and held on to the kid's wrist. "S-sto-op."

"I don't think I will." The kid stated as he tightened his hold around Luffy's neck, cutting off his oxygen little by little. Luffy pulled at his wrist, trying to wretch his arm away, but the guy was holding on too tight. He tried kicking at the guy's legs too, but that didn't seem to work too well either. His vision began to blur and he could see the darkness beginning to creep into his eyes as he fought for more oxygen.

The darkness moved in more and more until he could barely see a thing, and right at the last few seconds the hand from around his neck loosened ever so slightly, but just enough to allow him to breath a bit better. The darkness began to fade as his lungs filled with oxygen again. Just as he was able to breathe again, the kid kneed him in the stomach and he doubled over.

His stomach and hand were killing him at the moment. His abdomen felt as though it was in fire and he wouldn't be surprised if his ribs were bruised or worse. He had thought he was stronger than this. If that were true, then why was he being beaten this badly? He gritted his teeth in pain and frustration. He felt so angry because he couldn't protect himself and because he'd let this punk step on Shank's hat like that. If only he could fight back. His left hand was crippled, there was no using that, but he did still have his right hand and his legs. Still… a two-on-one fight and being this injured didn't look too promising for him in the end. He still had to try though. He couldn't keep letting himself just take this kind of abuse from kids he didn't even know before today.

So, using as much strength as he could, he caught the kid by surprise when he unexpectedly punched him in the face. The kid stumbled back a foot, letting go of Luffy. He looked angrier than ever after that and growled. "Why you… you little brat! You shouldn't have tried to fight back, because that's only going to make things worse for you!"

When the kid jumped forward, Luffy managed to push him back and trip his foot so he'd fall backwards onto the ground. But, as soon as Luffy found himself on top of the kid, ready to beat the hell out of him, he was kicked harshly in the face by the other guy who had been there. This caused him to fall off of the kid he'd pushed. He groaned and spit out the blood from his mouth. The guy had busted his lip and caught his nose in that kick as well. It wasn't broken, but it sure hurt like hell.

The kid, who was on the ground next to Luffy, pushed himself up and moved back, letting his friend take over for the time being. This guy wasted no time in kicking Luffy again. Then, much like how the other kid had done before, he lifted Luffy by his shirt and punched him in the stomach. Luffy coughed, blood coming out of his mouth. The guy then threw Luffy against the building, and Luffy just laid there on the cold cement, blood running from his mouth and nose, his breathing coming out harsh.

He tried to push himself back up, but his arms trembled and he collapsed back to the ground. The kid he had pushed started talking to the other boy, but he could vaguely make out what they were saying. "I say we do it. We gotta teach this punk who he's messing with."

"Are you sure? I mean, I think beating him is enough. There's no need to go that far."

"What do you know? After this, this kid better wish he never sees my face again."

"Do I have to stay? This doesn't seem right."

"You idiot. I need you here to hold him down. I'm not having him punch me in the face again."

The guy who had kicked Luffy sighed. "Fine." He walked over to Luffy and pulled him from the ground by his hair. "Just know that I never wanted any part of this to begin with."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just do as I say." The kid removed something from his pocket, though Luffy couldn't tell exactly what it was. His senses came back to him when he suddenly felt a hand grab onto his belt buckle.

"W-wha-at do y-you think-k you-you're d-doing-g?" He managed to speak out even though it hurt like hell to.

"Shut the kid up." He heard in response and then a hand moved to cover his mouth. At the same time it pushed his head down forcefully. Another hand grasped both of his wrists and held them to the ground over his head. He moved his body, twisting it, trying to get out of the guy's hold, but nothing worked, and he started panicking when he felt his belt come undone rather harshly. What did these guys think they were doing? Beating him was one thing, but this was completely different! They couldn't do this! _Oh, but they can when you're in this helpless position. Maybe if you were stronger this wouldn't have happened._ A voice in the back of his head told him and Luffy realized that it was right, but what they were doing was still wrong for so many reasons.

He wanted to kick his legs when he felt his pants coming undone and being pulled down, but they wouldn't move like he wanted them to. He wanted to scream when he felt a whole new pain shoot through his body, but it only came out muffled. Tears stung at his eyes as they blurred his vision and rolled down his cheeks. Whatever that kid had taken out of his pocket was in a place that it really shouldn't be and it _hurt. _

Luffy wasn't sure how long these guys continued hurting him like this, but it felt like forever and he was in so much pain. His whole body hurt so badly. He knew he was bleeding other than from his mouth and nose, he could feel it. When the kid finally stopped, he heard the object he had been using clatter to the ground.

"I'm leaving." The guy who had held him down announced before he let go of Luffy and walked away without another word.

The kid who was left walked closer to Luffy and kicked him in the side. "I hope you learned your lesson now. Better hope we never run into each other again." With that, he left as well, leaving Luffy by himself, half naked and beaten in the alley. Luffy groaned as he tried to move, but it was a failed attempt since it only caused more harm than good.

His eyes moved to where his pants lay and he reached out for them. But, even though he had them, putting them on would be a whole feat all in itself. The sky was starting to darken too, he needed to get home. He must have been out for hours, Ace was probably worried, but his head pounded and he couldn't stand up. Also, Shank's hat. It was all the way at the entrance of the alley. He needed to get that.

His muscles screamed as he pushed himself into a semi sitting position. It took about five minutes, but he had successfully put his pants back on. _Shank's hat. I have to go get it. _Standing up was out of the question, Luffy wasn't even going to attempt it. Instead, he tried crawling toward the entrance. It was a lot harder said than done, and Luffy's body would not allow him to push forward any longer halfway there. He collapsed back onto the ground when his arms gave out. His left hand throbbed and he couldn't move his fingers.

His eyes stared helplessly at Shank's hat laying only a few feet away. He reached out for it, but his arm wasn't long enough. He whimpered at how hopeless this situation was and gave up. _Hat…_

He was so out of it that the sound of approaching footsteps went right over his head. He didn't even notice that there was a person bending down next to him, trying to get his attention. All his eyes could see were Shank's hat, and his fingers flexed as he tried to reach for something that was still too far away from him. "H-hat." That was the last thing he remembered hearing himself say before everything around him disappeared and he fell unconscious.


	2. II: A Boy In An Alley

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: I'll be updating this story at irregular times, so don't expect weekly updates and such.

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><p>Roronoa Zoro was currently walking home from work this evening. The sun was beginning to set and to say that Zoro was irritated would be more than an understatement. Not that he was irritated from work, he was used to that place, what irritated him was the fact that he had to walk all the way home. And, why did he have to walk home, you ask? Because his piece of junk of a car had finally given out on him and it was currently in the shop being fixed. But, if this were the case, then why hadn't he just called a cab? That answer was simple. Because his car is a piece of shit, it's going to take all of his money to fix the damn thing and there's no way he was going to call a cab and waste his money on it. So, he had no other choice than to walk home. It's not like he had any friends to pick him up either. And, if he did, he still wouldn't have asked.<p>

This was why he was irritated.

For the past few days, anywhere he went, _he had to walk,_ and it was annoying. Not that the extra exercise wasn't good for him and all, he just didn't want to have to walk to every destination; school, work, the grocery (which was a pain since he had to carry all the bags home too), the gym, the dojo. The first day was okay, but now, he was just getting angry. And, he was also really beginning to miss his damn car.

Being a high school student who lived by themselves seriously sucked at times like these. His feet hurt from work and he just wanted to go home, get his stupid homework out of the way, eat, and then go to bed. Then, he'd start the whole day over again tomorrow, but that was tomorrow and this was today, and he would rather not focus on starting this stupid routine over tomorrow. That would only worsen his mood.

Between school and work and not having a car, his stress levels were certainly rising. He didn't even have the energy to walk fast just so he could get home quicker. He sighed and his shoulders slouched as he shoved his hands in his pockets. It's a good thing that he found that detour that would take him home faster. Without that, he'd be walking another five minutes and he did not feel like doing that.

Since he had lived here for a few years, his sense of direction was a lot better and he was proud of that. Yeah, he did get himself lost numerous times the first month he lived here, but now he knew where almost everything was. That's not to say he still didn't get lost every once in a while or when he went places he had never been to before, but at least he could stop worry about getting lost on his way to school or his way home from work.

But, he had found this small detour around the second week after he had moved in because he was lost and he liked to use it ever since. He dragged his body in the direction of the detour, simply wanting to go home and sleep. Maybe he'd skip out on eating and homework, he was exhausted after all. His teachers would give him hell tomorrow, but that was tomorrow. And, skipping out on a meal wouldn't kill him either.

His body kept moving in the direction, knowing exactly where to go and which streets to take. He'd done this so many times before that he was certain he could walk home blindfolded and not get lost, which was an extraordinary task for someone like Zoro. He couldn't tell you the names of the streets he had to take if his life depended on it; he just remembered the route and which turns to take and which ones not to take.

There was this one alleyway that he had to go through and from there he'd be home in no time. It was one of those long ones that had an entrance on both sides. It creeped him out at first and he hadn't liked the thought of being lost in it, but once he got used to taking this route, it bothered him less and less. So much so that nowadays he walked right on through it like it was nothing. Because it was. If someone were stupid enough to try and attack him, he knew he could take them out in seconds.

The sun was down by the time he made it to the dark alley. Not many people were around, but not too many would stick around this area when it began to get dark. Places like these gave off a bad vibe when the sun went down. Zoro didn't mind it since he was strong enough to defend himself if someone decided to attack him.

It was even darker once he started walking through the alley, but he ignored it all the same. His focus was only on getting home and nothing more. It would take him about 30 seconds to walk through it at the pace he was going. He kept walking until he heard a small sound. A sound much like a whimper. At first he thought it may have been some small animal, like a cat, until he got closer and noticed that there was someone on the ground.

He walked over and the closer he got, he noticed that it was in fact a person. A boy by the looks of it, who must have been younger than himself. The kid looked like he was beat pretty badly as well. He also seemed to be conscious too. "Hey." He bent down, closer to the boy, trying to get his attention. The other gave no indication that he had even heard Zoro speak. He looked as though he didn't even know Zoro was there. "Oi, kid. Are you okay?"

"H-hat." It was spoken so low that Zoro barely caught it. His eyes moved to the hand that the kid had reached out and then further until he spotted a strawhat laying a few feet away.

"Hat?" The kid was beaten this badly and he was concerned over a hat? "Can you hear me or n-" He stopped once he had looked back down at the other only to see that the kid was no longer conscious. Now what was he suppose to do? He couldn't just leave the boy here, beaten this badly, but he didn't know the kid either. Zoro sighed as he realized what he had to do. "I guess he's coming with me then." He said to himself as he picked the younger one up. There was no sense in trying to carry him on his back when his apartment wasn't that far away, so he simply carried him in his arms.

He almost started walking away when he remembered something. '_The kid looked like he really wanted that hat. I should probably take it just in case.' _Zoro turned back around and went over to the hat. He carefully bent down to grab it, without dropping the kid in the process, and held onto it by the string attached.

Today just was not his day. He didn't regret helping the kid out, but being as exhausted as he was, he really just wanted to sleep. Now, he had to take care of someone he didn't know. But, the boy was injured really badly and he couldn't leave him there; that wasn't right.

It didn't take much longer for Zoro to reach his apartment after that. Once he was inside his home, he immediately decided that the best place to put the kid would be in his bedroom. The couch didn't look appealing to even him, so there was no way he was going to put the kid there. If he had to give his bed up for the night, then so be it; he'd live.

He carefully put the younger boy on his bed and turned the light on so he could see him better. And, he was definitely right when he'd noticed that the kid looked beaten. His clothes were dirty, as well as his face, arms, and legs. His face was bloody and his hand didn't look to be in great shape. Zoro had experienced a broken hand before and this kid's didn't look that far from one. It was very obvious that the kid had run into someone he shouldn't have. He didn't see why someone would beat the kid this badly, because to him, he looked pretty harmless. They were probably just some bullies that did this because he looked like an easy target.

If he was beaten this bad, then there were more than likely more injuries on his body other than where he could currently see. His assumption was confirmed correct when he pushed the boy's shirt up. The kid's whole abdomen was bruised and swollen. Zoro wasn't a doctor, but he wasn't stupid enough to know that this looked really serious.

A real doctor would have been better at the moment, but Zoro's only way to a hospital would be by his own two feet, so he was going to have to fix the kid up himself. He left his bedroom to get the first aid kit he had stored in the bathroom and a wet cloth.

When he came back to the bedroom, he began by wiping the blood from the boy's face. After he cleaned up his face, he carefully removed the kid's shirt, being especially careful with his hand as he pulled it off. He absently put the shirt off to the side with the strawhat. Once he cleaned the dirt from the rest of the boy's body, he started treating the rest of his injuries.

He wrapped up the kid's abdomen and hand unsure of what to actually do about them since they were only bruised real bad and not bleeding. The only remedy he could think of to use for the boy's abdomen at least was ice, so he left to his kitchen to get some and wrapped it in a cloth. As he re-entered the bedroom again, he slipped off the boy's sandals and sat them aside. He pulled up his desk chair next to the bed and sat down, carefully placing the ice on the other's abdomen and holding it there. He didn't want the pressure from the ice to make the bruising hurt worse, so he held it there himself, checking ever so often if the swelling had started to go down.

This was pretty much all he knew to do now. Once fifteen minutes had passed, Zoro checked again, noticing that it looked slightly better than before, which meant that the ice was at least helping a bit. When the ice began to melt more quickly, Zoro decided it wouldn't be a good idea if he soaked the bandages and pulled the ice away.

There wasn't very much he could do at the moment. The best thing would be to wait and see if the kid woke up anytime soon. At the very least, he could take a small nap himself since this whole ordeal wasn't making him feel any less exhausted. He didn't care where, he just wanted to sleep. So, before he knew it he was all ready beginning to fall asleep in the chair he'd pulled up next to his bed.

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><p>When Luffy woke up again, it was a few hours later and he noticed that he was no longer on the ground, but in a nice, comfy bed. And, in someone else's house, because Luffy had no idea who the man sleeping in the chair next to the bed was. His injuries throbbed, but they hurt considerably less than before. He tried to push his body into a sitting position, but the second he attempted it, the muscles in his abdomen would not have it and caused him a great deal of pain.<p>

He groaned and fell back on the bed. So, moving around was definitely NOT a good idea at the moment. But, he didn't exactly feel comfortable being in a stranger's house. Who knew what time it was, and Ace was probably worried sick about him. Ace would most likely call Shanks and then Shanks would be worried too._ 'Wait, Shank's hat! I never could get it. I bet it's still back there.' _

That made him feel worse now that he remembered. His gaze traveled down to his hand which was wrapped in bandages, then to his stomach, and upwards to the green haired male who was still sleeping. This must be the guy who had found him back in that alley. Luffy wasn't entirely sure, but that was his best guess.

Luffy took in the guy's features more closely. This was one of the most unusual people he'd ever seen. Not that it was a bad thing; he'd just never seen a person with green hair like that. The three piercings in his left ear caught his attention also, and how built the guy looked. It was obvious that he was very strong.

Luffy pouted. Why couldn't he be that strong? He wouldn't be in this situation had be been a lot stronger and none of this would have happened. He thought back to hours ago when he was in that alley. Never did he imagine something like this would happen simply because he got lost. He should have stayed home and had Ace go out to town with him the next day. Ace wouldn't have gotten them lost. Ace would have been strong enough to keep anyone away from him who had tried to hurt him. But, Ace wasn't there and now Luffy was badly injured, lying in some guy's bed because he wasn't strong enough to protect himself.

That also made him angry when he thought about it. Ace was really strong too. He shouldn't have to depend on Ace to stick up for him. He just had to get stronger. If he got stronger, Ace wouldn't have to worry about him as much. And, everything, especially _that _wouldn't have happened. Luffy didn't want to think about what happened before those two guys had left, so he thought back on Ace, and how Ace was probably feeling right now. Ace would be awake all night; he just knew it, worrying over him. He was safe now, but Ace didn't know that, and he had no way to tell Ace that he was okay either. Perhaps this guy did have a phone, but he couldn't move and the guy was sleeping right now anyway.

The longer he lay there, the more he missed Ace and being at home. He wanted to go back home and crawl into his own bed. Sure, the bed he was in now was comfortable, but it wasn't the same as being at home. Even though they had only been in this town for a day, Luffy still considered their apartment home because that's where he and Ace lived. It didn't matter where, but wherever he and Ace lived, was what Luffy thought of as home. If Ace wasn't around, it just wasn't the same. Ace was his only brother, they were extremely close, and being away from the other like this saddened him, especially knowing that Ace was probably looking all over the place for him. He wouldn't be surprised if Ace were out at this time of the night at all looking for him, that's just how Ace was. He was very protective.

And to think he'd told Ace not to worry before he left. "I'm such an idiot!" He chided himself, forgetting all about the other guy in the room.

His small outburst ended up waking Zoro from the lovely sleep he was having, even if he was sleeping in a chair. Zoro groaned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Luffy sighed. There he went accidentally waking the guy up! He needed to learn to think before doing stuff like that.

"I guess you finally woke up." Zoro stated as he stared at the boy.

Luffy looked back at the other when he heard his voice. He couldn't exactly read the guy's expression as he stared at him; it was mostly a blank stare he was receiving. Luffy blinked once. Then again. "Uh, yeah, I guess I did."

Silence.

Luffy blinked again innocently. He didn't care for silence too much. Should he be the one to break it? What was he suppose to say though?

Zoro rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at Luffy's wide eyes. "I found you back in that alley. You've been asleep for a few hours probably. How are you feeling?"

The other broke his stare and looked at his abdomen again. "I can't move much because it really hurts." He looked back with a smile on his face. "Thanks for helping me back there."

Zoro shrugged. "I couldn't leave you there. It would probably be best if you got some more rest."

Luffy pouted. He didn't like the idea of going back to sleep. He knew it was for the best, but he just couldn't sleep at the moment. He managed to push his body up a bit, so he wasn't lying completely on his back, and gave Zoro one of his trademark smiles. "I would, but I can't sleep right now. My name's Monkey D. Luffy! What's yours?" If anything, he could get to know the guy who had helped him since he couldn't sleep.

Zoro was slightly taken back by this kid. He was not expecting him to smile that big or ask him something like that. It wouldn't hurt to talk to the boy, he supposed. After all, he would have to find out if Luffy had someone who could come and get him tomorrow or something. "Zoro. Roronao Zoro."

"That's a weird name." Luffy laughed. "But, I like it. Do you have a phone?" He asked.

Zoro blinked. This kid was random. "Yeah, in the other room. Why?"

"Yosh! Now, I can tell Ace that I'm okay!"

Zoro lifted an eyebrow. "Ace?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah! Ace is my older brother. Me and him just moved here. I bet he's out looking for me right now!"

"Then, I guess that's who we'll be calling tomorrow, huh?"

"Mh-hm! He's the only person I live with. We've only lived here for a day. I told him not to worry when I left earlier and then all this happened. He's gotta be really worried right now." Luffy's smile left his face as he stared at the wall across the room.

Zoro was confused. Luffy suddenly went from talking animatedly about his brother, to this in the span of mere seconds. Strangely enough, Zoro noted that looking like that didn't seem to suit Luffy. The cheerful way he had been acting seconds before was more like it. It seemed that Luffy didn't like the fact that his brother was worried about him. There wasn't much that Zoro could do for the other in this situation, so he simply said what came to mind first.

"I'm sure you're brother's worried, but we can call him tomorrow and tell him that you're fine. Right now, even if you can't sleep, it would be best if you tried. You'll probably feel a bit better tomorrow if you do." Zoro watched as Luffy silently thought over what he had said.

Luffy looked back at him. "You're right. But, I can't sleep here. This is your bed, right?"

Zoro stood up, his back popping as he did so; that chair was not the most comfortable thing to fall asleep in. "It's fine. I've got a couch. It'll serve the same purpose." Luffy still didn't look certain about sleeping in Zoro's bed. "Besides, it's only for one night. I fell asleep in that god forsaken chair and that's worse than any couch." He grabbed the cover slipping over the side of the bed – like he actually has time to make his bed every day – and tossed it over Luffy. He then gave a yawn and turned off the light before walking over to his bedroom door. "If you need anything, yell for me." After that he left, leaving the door open a bit in case Luffy actually did need him. At least he'd be able to hear him.

Luffy stared at the spot Zoro had been standing at for a few seconds before he slipped further down into the covers. He hadn't felt all that tired, but now that he got comfortable, he found it hard to keep his eyes open much longer. Also, he figured that the quicker he could fall asleep, the quicker he'll be awake and he could call Ace.

He wanted to talk to Zoro some more tomorrow too. He was a pretty nice guy, letting Luffy sleep in his bed like this and cleaning him up and stuff. He wondered if there was the chance they'd be able to be friends after this. He hadn't known him very long, but that didn't mean he didn't want to get to know him more. He supposed it was up to Zoro and whether or not he wanted to be Luffy's friend. He'd have to ask tomorrow, but for now, sleep sounded like a very good option, and so he lay there, letting sleep take over his body.

* * *

><p>After Zoro left the room, he retrieved a pillow and a blanket from the hallway closet, and settled down on the couch for the night. It wasn't as great as his bed, but it felt a lot nicer than that chair. The thought of sleep was extremely satisfying to him, but he wasn't too excited about tomorrow. He had school and- wait, he couldn't go to school if he had Luffy here. He could skip all together or he could wait until Luffy's brother came and go in late. But, he didn't have his homework finished, so it may be a good idea to just not go at all. He didn't know when Luffy would wake up tomorrow anyway. He still had work and that was a pain. He also had to call and see if his car was fixed yet. That was definitely something he'd love to have back.<p>

Zoro sighed. This was not how he expected today to go, that was for sure. It was odd to him though. This was the first time since he lived here that he had someone else staying in his home. He preferred not to associate with the people at school or work, so he didn't have many friends. The people he did talk to were more like acquaintances than anything. Like Johnny and Yosaku. Those guys just started talking to him and following him around, so he gave in and decided to befriend them, if you could call it that.

To him, they were just two guys at school that he talked to sometimes. Other than them, he didn't talk to anyone else, except Miss Robin. That lady was definitely weird. He didn't even remember why she started talking to him at school, she just did, and wouldn't leave him alone after that. Most people who tried to talk to him, he simply ignored. For some reason, he just did not want to get too close to others.

But, Luffy seemed to spark something inside him. He wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was because the kid was hurt, but it didn't feel that way. He supposed that the kid simply had this nature about him that either made you really like him or made you really hate him. In Zoro's case, he found the former to be true.

He didn't like too many people, but for some reason, this kid had somehow gotten him to like him. Did that mean he wanted to be friends with him? He'd never wanted to be friends with someone before. He didn't quite understand it and he didn't want to keep thinking about it either. So, with that final thought, he let all of his exhaustion from the day take over and pull him into a comfortable slumber for the night.


	3. III: Leaving All Ready

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: Ten pages in Word and a headache later, and this is what I have for chapter 3. I have a friend who is demanding new chapters and so I've been working my butt off to write more. I don't usually update this quickly, but I'm kind of glad that my friend's being this demanding, because otherwise I wouldn't be writing this much.

Edit: Also, I just noticed that for some reason, this site is deleting the exclamation points after question marks, so if you see a period between the two, it's suppose to be there, because that's the only way I can get the exclamation point to show up.

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><p>When Luffy awoke again, the sun was shining brightly through the window in Zoro's bedroom. He lay there for a few seconds before pushing the cover off of himself and trying to sit up. This time, his abdomen didn't hurt as much and he was successfully able to push his body into a sitting position. He wondered if Zoro was still sleeping. He wasn't sure what time it was, but as his eyes traveled over to the stand next to Zoro's bed, he was able to see that it was currently one-thirty four in the afternoon.<p>

How in the world had he slept for so long? It must have been from his injuries. At this time, Zoro was bound to be awake.

Luffy carefully pushed himself to his feet. His body still hurt, but it was more tolerable than it had been last night. With the help of the furniture around him, he managed to make it a good ways across the bedroom without causing much more pain to his body.

He noticed his shirt lying not too far from where he was standing and went over it. He lifted it from what appeared to be Zoro's dresser and his eyes widened when he saw his strawhat there right underneath it. "Hat!" He quickly grabbed it and put it on forgetting all about his shirt. "Zoro must have picked it up! I'll have to go thank him." With that said, he walked the rest of the way out of the bedroom and into the livingroom. He didn't see the man anywhere, so maybe he had gone out?

His attention was drawn to the couch and he started walking over to it. If Zoro was gone for a bit, then he could just sit here and wait for him! Even though that sounded really boring, it was about all he could do. But, as he approached the couch and got closer, it was obvious that Zoro had not left the apartment; he was still sleeping.

Okay, so Luffy hadn't expected him to STILL be asleep, but that was fine. This was Zoro's apartment after all. If he wanted to sleep all day, he could. This left Luffy in a tough spot though. He could wake Zoro up, but he wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. He didn't know Zoro that well, how would he react to being woken up by someone he just met yesterday? Then, he could let Zoro sleep. He did help him last night and Luffy didn't know what other things Zoro had to do yesterday, so for all he knew, Zoro could have already been very tired, and taking care of him wouldn't have helped.

Luffy pouted. All this thinking was hard. He didn't like it.

Then, his stomach growled. And, he pouted some more. He was hungry! He hadn't eaten since he was with Ace yesterday and that was almost a full day ago! He couldn't go raiding Zoro's kitchen either, without Zoro's permission of course, and he was asleep. This was truly a bad predicament Luffy had found himself in.

It was official. He wanted to go home. Now. At least if he were at home he could eat whatever he wanted whenever he wanted to! Zoro was cool and all, but when something came between Luffy and his food, well, that thing usually didn't win out. In this case, Zoro being asleep is what was coming between Luffy and food, so when he pieced everything together, the best choice of action was to wake Zoro up!

He may not know Zoro that well, but a hungry Luffy was not a force to be reckoned with! At least, he thought so anyway…

He whined.

His stomach growled again.

And, he whined some more.

"This isn't fair! I'm so hungry."

"That's not obvious."

At the sound of Zoro's voice, Luffy stopped his pouting and whining, his face immediately splitting in a huge grin. "Zoro's awake! Now, I don't have to wake you up!" If Luffy were capable of jumping up and down at the moment, he probably would have been doing so.

Zoro sat up on the couch, pulling the blanket off of him. "I thought I told you if you needed anything to tell me."

Luffy paused. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that. But, you're awake now, so it doesn't matter. Do you have any food? 'Cause I'm really really hungry!"

"Yeah, I have food." Zoro stood up from the couch, beginning to walk into his small kitchen. Luffy followed behind, swinging his arms, and humming. "Since you're out of bed, I guess that means you're feeling a lot better?" Zoro asked.

Luffy nodded. "Yep! It still hurts, but it's nothing that'll keep me down for long!"

"Is that so?" Zoro asked as he absently looked over the contents of his kitchen. "What do you like to eat?"

"That's easy! I like everything! Especially meat! But, I'll eat anything."

Maybe this kid wasn't so difficult after all. This made finding him something to eat ten times easier than he thought it would be. Zoro quickly found something that didn't involve cooking and gave it to Luffy. He didn't mind feeding the kid, but cooking right after waking up was not something he wanted to do.

Luffy was about to shove the entire thing in his mouth, and he would have too, had he not recalled something that Ace had said to him once.

"_You need to learn some better manners, Luffy. I don't care if you eat like a pig, but it's not good to shove everything down your throat at once, especially around other people."_

And, because Ace was a very smart and polite person, in Luffy's opinion, he decided to eat at a normal pace this time. But, _only_ because Ace had told him too.

Zoro gave the kid a weird look, because from his point of view, he had just seen what looked like Luffy going to devour the whole thing in one bite, his mouth open wide and everything, to Luffy simply taking a small bite out of it. He was not going to question that. Instead, he leaned back against the counter and crossed him arms. "You said you wanted to call your brother today, right?"

Oh, right! He had totally forgotten about that. Even though he had just been thinking about Ace, that little detail had not occurred to him at all. It was a good thing that Zoro reminded him. His mouth was full, so he gave Zoro a nod in return. "Do you want to call now, or after you eat?"

Luffy swallowed his food. "Now, please!"

Zoro retrieved the phone and gave it to Luffy. The other switched between taking bites and dialing Ace's cell phone number. He'd made sure to remember Ace's number before anyone else's, so he could call him whenever he wanted to! This, however, was pretty unfortunate for Ace, but happened to be a good thing in situations like this.

Luffy waited for Ace to pick up, munching on his food as he did so.

"_Hello?" _

Luffy frowned at the slight croak in Ace's voice. He didn't sound too great. "Ace! You sound weird."

"_Luffy?.! Where the hell have you been?.! Are you okay?.!" _

"I'm fine, Ace!"

"_If you're fine, then why didn't you come back home yesterday?.! Luffy, I've been looking for you EVERYWHERE! Do you have any idea what you've put me through?.!"_

"I know, but it wasn't my fault!"

Ace slowly breathed in and let it back out, trying to calm himself down a bit. He was EXHAUSTED. He hadn't gotten any sleep at all last night and he was immensely on edge. _"Okay, just tell me where you are, so I can come and get you."_

"I'm at Zoro's house!" Luffy replied, without thinking of course. Yeah, HE knew who Zoro was, but Ace had never heard that name in his life.

"_What? Zoro? No, Luffy, I mean," Ace _sighed, rubbing at his face. _"what's his _address_? _That's _what I need to know."_

"Ohh, I don't know that. Here, Zoro can tell you!"

"_Luffy!"_

Luffy shoved the phone at Zoro, who blinked at the device. "Ace wants to come and get me, but he needs your address. I don't know it."

"Of course you don't know it." Zoro sighed as he took the phone from Luffy. The other finished off the last of his food and started looking around the kitchen.

"Zoro, I'm still hungry. Can I have some of this cereal?.!" It seemed that Luffy had found a box of cereal and was waving it around.

"Knock yourself out." He answered, lazily watching Luffy run around the kitchen trying to find a bowl and some milk. It was amusing in a way. He put the phone to his ear and opened his mouth to speak, when Ace cut him off.

"_My brother's not raiding your kitchen, is he?" _

Zoro watched Luffy as the boy finally found the right cabinet with the bowls and pulled one out from it. "Looks like it. You wanted my address?"

Ace slapped himself in the face. Only Luffy… _"Y-yeah. Just tell me where you live and I'll be there to get him."_

Luffy continued making his cereal, trying his best not to make a mess since this wasn't his house, as Zoro told Ace where he lived. Shortly after, he hung up the phone, placing it on the counter. By this time, Luffy had seated himself on one of Zoro's stools at the counter to eat his cereal. Zoro walked over to the box of cereal and milk that Luffy had left out and put it all back where it belonged. "Your brother's on his way here." He told Luffy as he walked back over to him. "He sounded very worried about you, you know."

The other looked down into his cereal. "I know. I hate doing that. Ace works really hard to take care of me and all I do is make him worry like this."

"I'm sure it doesn't bother him. He probably cares about you a lot. It's not like you make him worry on purpose."

"I still feel bad." Luffy stated as he ate the last few pieces of his cereal, drinking the rest of the milk after.

Zoro took Luffy's empty bowl, and put it in the sink. He'd wash it later. "Why don't we wait for your brother in the livingroom? The kitchen's kind of small." Zoro stated, walking out of said kitchen. Luffy got off the stool and followed behind. Zoro stuffed the blanket and pillow that he'd used that night back in the closet, so Luffy could sit on the couch. "I wonder what your brother will say when he sees you like this. You didn't exactly tell him that you're hurt on the phone."

"If I did that then he'd start asking all these questions! So, I decided not to say anything." Luffy grinned again.

Zoro eyed the bandages on Luffy. "You do realize that he's probably going to flip when he gets here. I know I would."

"He'll get over it!"

"I'm not so sure about that." Zoro mumbled to himself. "He did say that your apartment isn't too far from here, so I'd say he should be here soon."

* * *

><p>After they had hung up, Ace wasted no time in grabbing his keys and running out the door. He didn't care if he looked like shit at the moment, he just wanted to see Luffy for himself and make sure he was okay. He was confused as to why Luffy had been at this Zoro guy's house overnight. Luffy had told him he was fine, but if he had been, then why had he not made it back home last night?<p>

Ace remembered seeing that street that Zoro mentioned he lived on during one of the car rides to their apartment. He guessed it would take about five minutes to get there by car if he remembered correctly. But, because this was Ace and he was a very worried, overprotective older brother, during these times, he wanted to get there as fast as possible. So, he applied a bit more pressure to the gas, going over the speed limit, just so he could get to Luffy faster.

This kid was going to be the death of him one day. Ace was going to make sure that Luffy fully understood how unbelievably worried he was all last night. At least, he was going to try to make him understand. Luffy needed to be much more careful, he was too oblivious to the things around him, and Ace wasn't going to be around forever to help him.

At the speed he was going, Ace found Zoro's apartment in no time. He got out of his car and hurriedly made his way inside of the building. Now, he just needed to find the right door. Zoro mentioned that he lived on the third floor, so that was where he was headed.

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><p>There was a knock on Zoro's door not too long later. Luffy made to jump off the couch, but Zoro was quick to stop him. "Stay there. I'll go answer it."<p>

He left the boy and walked down the short hallway that led to his front door. When he opened it, there was a man with short, dark hair and freckles staring at him. "Are you Zoro?" He asked.

Zoro nodded. "You must be Luffy's brother, Ace. He's inside." Zoro held the door open and Ace immediately went inside, walking to the livingroom, with Zoro behind him.

He was very relieved to see Luffy sitting on the couch. Luffy's face brightened when he saw Ace. "Ace!"

"Luffy!" His eyes widen when he noticed all of the bandages adorning Luffy's frame. "What the hell happened to you?.! You failed to mention that you were injured!"

Luffy laughed nervously. "Oh, this? It's nothing, Ace! See? It doesn't even hurt!" He poked himself in the stomach and flinched. Okay, so it still hurt.

Ace approached his younger brother, his expression one of worry and anger. "Luffy…" His voice was low at first, and then, he snapped. "What happened?.! I TOLD you not to get lost! I can't believe this happened!"

"It's okay, Ace-"

"No, it's not okay, Luffy." Ace was now standing right in front of him, and Luffy found that his older brother looked pretty intimidating at the moment. "Look at you! These injuries look really serious! I'm going to have to take you to a doctor, aren't I? This is just great. We've only been here for a day, and this happens. That's it. You're not taking one step outside of our apartment by yourself, ever again!"

"But, Ace!"

"EVER. AGAIN. I won't allow it! I'm your guardian. What I say goes, Luffy!"

"B-but, Ace-"

"No buts! You're not leaving the house by yourself again!"

"It wasn't my fault though!"

"Maybe not, but you still got hurt!"

"Aacceeee…"

"Stop it, Luffy."

Luffy pouted. "Yeah, I got hurt, but Zoro helped me! He brought me here and he took care of my injuries, let me sleep in his bed, and gave me food!"

Ace sighed and helped Luffy stand up from the couch. "We'll talk about this some more when we get home."

Zoro had decided while Ace was scolding Luffy, that getting Luffy's things would be a good idea. He slipped into his bedroom and grabbed the boy's shirt and sandals. When he came back, Ace was standing there with Luffy. He walked over to the both of them and held out Luffy's things. "Thank you." Ace replied, taking them from Zoro. "You've helped Luffy a lot. I appreciate it."

Zoro gave a small smile. "It was nothing."

Ace helped Luffy get back into his shirt and put his sandals on. "I guess we'll be going now. I apologize for yelling like that." Ace chuckled, a bit ashamed of himself.

"It's okay. Older brother duties, I get it."

"Luffy's a handful all right."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

Zoro chuckled at the two. They really did act like brothers. "Come on, Luffy. We should get you home." Ace stated as he began pulling Luffy toward the door.

"Okay!" Zoro decided to follow them.

Ace turned around back to Zoro at the door. "I really am thankful for your help."

Luffy smiled wide. "Yeah! Thank you, Zoro!" He unexpectedly lunged forward and gave Zoro a quick hug. Zoro was surprised by it and Ace only laughed. "Bye, Zoro!" Luffy waved as Ace pulled him away from Zoro's apartment.

Zoro waved back. "Luffy! Try not to get yourself lost again!" He yelled to the younger boy. Luffy gave a big nod in return before he and Ace disappeared in the elevator. Zoro closed the door and walked back into his apartment.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to miss Zoro." Luffy said as Ace helped him into the passenger's side of the car. Ace pulled the seatbelt over Luffy and locked it in place.<p>

"I have his address and number if you ever want to talk to him again." Ace replied. He closed the door and walked over to the driver's side.

"That's right!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly when Ace got in.

Ace started the car and laughed. "That guy's not going to be able to get rid of you, huh?"

"Nope! After I'm healed, I'm going to come and visit him again!"

"Not by yourself, I hope."

"Well, because Ace is a jerk and said I couldn't leave the house anymore by myself, then I guess I'm not coming by myself." Luffy stuck his tongue out. "Jerk."

"This jerk has say over everything you do until you move out. I wouldn't push it."

Luffy ignored his brother to stare out at the passing scenery instead. They were joking around right now, but once they got home, Ace would more than likely want him to spill everything that happened yesterday. Ignoring it made him feel better, he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Ace.

Ace glanced at Luffy who had gone quiet. Luffy had his head pressed against the glass of the window, staring out of it, but not looking at anything in particular. It was one of those looks that didn't suit Luffy too well. Luffy was a very hard person to figure out. Ace had no idea what the kid could be thinking about right now.

It wasn't long before they made it back to their own apartment. Luffy unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door, carefully getting out of the car. Ace helped him the rest of the way into the apartment. Once they were in the apartment, Luffy was considering whether he should sit down on the couch or go lie down. The only problem was that his own bed hadn't arrived at their apartment yet and the only place to lie down at would be in Ace's room. Ace was supposed to have his bed delivered today, but that clearly didn't happen.

Ace wouldn't mind if he lay down in his bed though. "I'm going to lie down." He murmured to his brother, quickly going to Ace's room. He went in and closed the door, lying down on Ace's bed. His mood had done a three-sixty from how he felt when he was at Zoro's apartment. It wasn't exactly Ace's fault. Just knowing that he'd have to explain _everything_ to his brother was unsettling, and made him feel bad.

"Luffy?" Ace pushed open the door slowly, unsure whether he should try to talk to the boy now. When he received no reply, he stepped into his room. "Are you okay?" He asked, walking over to the bed.

Luffy simply stared at the ceiling. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." The older of the two said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "What exactly happened yesterday after you left?"

Luffy sighed. He knew this was coming. "I got lost in town, but I didn't mean too. And, I thought about how you told me to ask someone if I got lost, so I was going to." As Luffy talked, Ace removed the boy's sandals and hat. After that, he settled down next to Luffy, but on his side, giving the other his full attention.

"And, what happened after that?"

Luffy briefly looked at Ace, but averted his eyes. "I felt rocks being thrown at me, and when I saw where they were coming from, I thought I would go and see who was doing it. Some guy pushed me and I fell into this alley. That's where the rocks were coming from. Then, this other guy took Shank's hat and stepped all over it. I didn't notice it before, but he put a tear in it. See?" Luffy held the hat above him, showing Ace exactly where the straw was torn.

"I was so angry, but I couldn't do anything because one of them wouldn't let go of me. The guy who tore Shank's hat started hitting me and when I tried to fight back, I couldn't because I forgot about the other guy there. He kicked me in the face really hard." Luffy fiddled with the straw hat idly as he talked, telling Ace all about what happened.

Ace listened, but he didn't like what he was hearing. From what Luffy was telling him, these two kids had started beating Luffy for no reason at all. He was actually very angry, but he didn't let it show. Now was not the time for that. "One of them pulled my hair, a-and, well…" Luffy trailed off, feeling nervous. His throat was tightening up on him. He wasn't sure if he could actually tell Ace. This was the only part he didn't want to talk about.

Ace furrowed his brow in confusion and worry. Why had Luffy all of a sudden stopped? It was like there was a part of this story that he was having trouble trying to say, or rather that he didn't want to say. "And what?" He asked, running a hand through Luffy's hair soothingly. Maybe it would help the boy to be able to tell him.

Luffy turned on his side, facing Ace. "I don't why they did it. I-I mean, I didn't do anything to them."

Ace's eyes narrowed skeptically. "What did they do?"

Luffy moved forward a bit more, closer to Ace. He glanced down at the hat he was holding between him and Ace, watching his fingers move over it nervously. "T-they held me down, a-and I don't know what it was, i-it felt like metal, but they u-used it to hurt me really-y bad." Luffy found it extremely hard to talk when it felt as though his throat was closing up on him.

"What do you mean by that, Luffy?" And, with as much difficulty as it was, Luffy told Ace exactly what happened. He didn't want to, but if anyone should know about it, it should be Ace, so he did. Ace was shocked, too shocked to even be angry. "They did _that_?"

Luffy bit his lip and nodded. Now, that Ace knew, he felt very embarrassed. He was also scared of what Ace was thinking. Ace didn't find him gross or something now, did he? "You won't tell anyone, will you, Ace?"

"Luffy, this is pretty serious. We might want to at least have you check out."

The other looked at Ace sharply. His throat constricted even more and he suddenly felt his eyes beginning to burn. Ace's face was starting to blur and he let go of his hat, grabbing onto the front of Ace's shirt. "You can't tell anyone, Ace! I don't want anyone else to know! Please, don't say anything. I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore!"

"Hey, easy." He pried Luffy's fingers from his shirt and wiped away any tears. "It's okay. I won't tell, I promise. C'mere." He pulled Luffy to his chest, placing the strawhat on the other side of Luffy since it didn't feel too comfortable between them.

He ran his fingers through Luffy's hair again, letting the other take comfort in him. Luffy sniffled. His voice was muffled by Ace's shirt when he spoke, but it was still understandable. "After that, they left. I-I must have passed out, b-because the next thing I remember was waking up at Zoro's house."

Ace's eyes moved to Luffy's bandaged hand and he ran his fingers over the bandages lightly. "How's your hand?" He asked suddenly, wanting to switch the subject.

"It still hurts." Luffy replied. "It's hard to move my fingers."

"We should probably take you to the doctor tomorrow for your hand and stomach."

"Mm, yeah." This position was making Luffy feel a lot better. He was actually beginning to feel tired as well. Neither of them said anything else as they laid there. Luffy's breathing evened out and Ace looked down to see that the other had fallen asleep.

He looked over at the strawhat laying only a foot away. He'd have to fix that tear for Luffy later. Maybe he could find something to fix it within one of the boxes lying around.

Ace was feeling very tired himself. He wasn't sure if he should go to sleep or not though. He had other things to do. A soft knock on the door caught his attention and Ace looked over his shoulder quickly. A head of red hair immediately gave away who it was. He'd forgotten that he had called Shanks to come over earlier when Luffy was still missing. He carefully got out of bed without waking Luffy up, grabbing the strawhat on his way out of the room with Shanks. He pulled the door shut quietly so Luffy wouldn't wake up.

"No one answered when I knocked on the front door." Shanks said walking over and taking a seat on the couch. "It looks like you found Luffy."

Ace sat down next to him, staring absently at the hat he was holding. "Yeah, he got beat pretty bad. This guy found him and he stayed with him last night. I'll be taking him to the doctor tomorrow." Shanks didn't say anything and they sat there for a few minutes in silence. "You can stay here tonight if you want. I'm sure Luffy would be happy to see you when he wakes up. I also know that it would take you about an hour to get back home anyway."

"You should get some sleep yourself, Ace. You must be tired."

Ace gave a small smile and held up the familiar strawhat. "Gotta fix his thing first. Luffy looked really sad that it was torn."

"He still has that thing, huh?"

"Of course!" Ace laughed. "He doesn't go anywhere without it. If he wakes up and sees it gone, he'll freak, so I should probably fix it before that happens." Ace stood up to start trying to find something he could fix the hat with. "One question though." He said, turning back around to face Shanks.

Shanks lifted an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Exactly how long were you standing outside my bedroom door?" Shanks didn't say anything and Ace turned back around, walking over to a pile of boxes. "I won't tell Luffy that you heard and I suggest you not bring it up ever again."

Shanks stretched out on the couch. "I wouldn't even consider it. So, I'm staying here tonight?"


	4. IV: Luffy's First Day Part I

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: I wasn't sure if this chapter would ever end! It was suppose to be longer, but I figured that this was long enough and the rest will continue in the next chapter. Also, kudos to Ace for being my favorite character and for taking such good care of Luffy! :D

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><p>It was now one week since Luffy had come back home. Shanks left the day after he stayed and Luffy had been overjoyed to see the man again. Then, Ace had taken Luffy to the doctor to have his injuries properly looked at. Since he had sustained a lot of damage to his abdomen and hand, he was told to rest a lot because moving around less would speed the healing process up. He was also prescribed medicine for any pain that he may have afterward.<p>

By now, most of the pain was gone in his abdomen, but his hand would take much longer to heal. A few bones had been fractured, but Luffy was glad that at least his hand wasn't broken. Over the week, Ace had also taken it upon himself to have Luffy enrolled in the nearest public high school, which made today pretty important since it was Luffy's first day there.

In fact, Ace was probably more excited that this was Luffy's first day than Luffy was, because that meant that even though he still had to go to work, he could finally have a break from his lovely little brother. Not that being around Luffy was a bad thing, but that kid was going to cause Ace to have wrinkles by the time he was thirty! Even after Luffy decides to move out, he would no doubt still cause Ace to worry over him. Luffy was very good at doing those things.

The current time was seven-twenty eight in the morning and Luffy was supposed to wake up at seven-thirty to begin getting ready. Ace was in the middle of cooking breakfast for the both of them, but it was also his job to wake Luffy up and to make sure got dressed. As well, as to make the kid's lunch for the day, which he had all ready completed, he just hoped that Luffy wouldn't eat it before lunch time. Then, he had to take Luffy to school. Ace was pretty sure that being the guardian of Luffy was harder than his actual job and he didn't even get paid for doing this! It then occurred to him that this must be what being a parent feels like. He was never having kids, for fear that the thing would turn out just as bad as Luffy, though he wasn't sure if that was even possible.

Their breakfast wouldn't be done for a little longer, so he left the stove to go to Luffy's room. That's right! Luffy finally had a bed too. Ace had arranged for it to be delivered just the other day. When he opened the door, he ended up having to shove a lot of things out of his way just to make it to Luffy's bed, where the boy was sprawled all over the place, sleeping noisily. He stepped on clothes and kicked a bunch of empty and full boxes out of his way. They had only lived here for a week, but Luffy made it seem like they had lived here for years with how messy his room was. He didn't bother trying to be quiet considering it was very hard to wake Luffy up. That was something he kind of hated though.

When he finally made it to Luffy's bed, he yanked what little of the cover that was on Luffy off. "Hey, Luffy, wake up!" Luffy only remained asleep, and so since Ace didn't want to waste any more time than necessary trying to wake his brother up, he resorted to one of the best methods, and that was violence. "Luffy, get your ass up!" He pinched Luffy's cheeks hard; pulling at them, hoping this would rouse the other a bit. It only caused Luffy to smack Ace's arm in his sleep. Ace was going to have to think of a better plan to use because he was NOT going through this every single morning, there was just no way.

And, then it occurred to him. Why it hadn't before, he wouldn't know. He grabbed Luffy's shoulders and started shaking him. "Luffy! If you don't get up now, you can't have any breakfast!" At the mention of food, Luffy jumped out of bed, almost knocking Ace over in the process. He was about to run out of the room, but Ace caught him by the back of the shirt, preventing him from doing so. He pulled hard, and shoved Luffy back on his bed. "No food until you're dressed! You're uniform is on your dresser and make sure you brush your teeth too."

"Why do I have to brush my teeth if I'm going to eat anyway?" Luffy asked, giving Ace his signature pout.

Ace crossed his arms. "Because you just do. Do you want your teeth to fall out?"

Luffy shook his head.

"Then, you have to take care of them. Do I have to explain everything to you?"

Luffy nodded and Ace sighed. "Just get dressed and brush your hair too, it's all over the place."

With that, Ace left Luffy to get ready on his own. If there was one thing Ace was glad Luffy knew how to do, it was to dress himself properly. "Stupid Ace." Luffy mumbled. He got out of bed and went to his uniform that Ace had said was on his dresser. He lifted the shirt up from the pile and stuck his tongue out at it. Luffy walked out of his bedroom with it and the rest of the uniform. He went into the livingroom and called out to Ace. "Ace! I don't like these clothes! I don't want to wear them!"

Ace tried his best not to turn around and completely blow up at the other. "That's what your school requires you to wear, so just put it on. You can't go to school if you don't wear it, Luffy."

"Okay…" Luffy turned around dejectedly, making his way into the bathroom to begin getting dressed. He brushed his teeth first and then started putting the uniform on. He preferred to wear shorts than pants, which meant he thought they felt weird. His vests buttoned up, so the shirt wasn't all that bad, but then he came to the tie, and he had no idea where this thing was supposed to go or how to put it on, so he did the best thing. He went to Ace, because surely Ace would know! "Aacceeee!" He called, walking back into the living room.

Ace was just finishing up their breakfast. "What is it now, Luffy? You better be dressed!"

"I am, but I don't know what to do with this thing." Luffy held the black cloth out. "Where does it go?"

Ace wasn't at all surprised by Luffy's question. "It's a tie. It goes around your neck."

"Really?.!" Luffy then proceeded to wrap it around his neck and tie it. Actually, he tied it a bit too tight because he found it very hard to breathe. Ace stared at his choking brother for a few seconds before once again, taking charge and fixing another one of Luffy's stupid mistakes.

"Not like that." He untied the cloth and put it under the collar of Luffy's shirt.

"I don't wanna wear it!" Luffy pouted as Ace messed with it. He didn't question the way that Ace tried tying it and then untying it, only to try again. But, at the sight of the food behind Ace, he began to get really hungry and started whining. "Aceeee, why's it taking you so long? I'm hungry!"

Ace made a sound of frustration, ripping the tie off of Luffy. "Damn. I never did learn how to tie one of these. Here." He gave it back to Luffy. "Don't wear it, but take it with you still in case a teacher yells at you or something. Maybe you can find someone at school who can put it on."

"Does that mean I get to eat now?" Luffy was practically salivating at the mouth, staring at the food.

"Yeah, go sit down. I'll get it for you." He filled Luffy's plate as well as his own and took them over to their small kitchen table. "Be careful and don't get your clothes dirty." He warned, placing the food in front of Luffy. The other said nothing, immediately digging in his food.

After they ate, Ace retrieved the backpack he'd bought Luffy for school. He sat it on the table in front of the other. "This has everything you'll need today. Your lunch is in here too and it's to remain in here or your locker until lunch time. You can't eat it before then."

"But, why not?"

"Because you're not supposed to eat in class and if you do eat it before lunch, then you won't have anything else to eat at lunch. So, don't eat it until then." He gave the bag to Luffy. "Put your tie in there too." Ace began walking out of the kitchen. "I'm going to get my keys, so hurry and put your shoes on!" He called to Luffy, walking into his bedroom.

Luffy did as he was told; slipping on the sneakers that he rarely wore, since he favored his sandals more. But, these shoes weren't all that bad. He picked them out himself when Ace had told him he needed other shoes. He decided that buying a pair with strings would be too annoying and so he got the pair that didn't have them. He liked these much better. Tying his shoes every time he had to wear them wasn't something Luffy had the patience to do. While he was at it, he also went and got his hat, shoving it into his backpack as best he could. He couldn't wear it during school, but he'd feel better having it with him.

When Ace returned, he stopped and stared at Luffy for a few seconds, taking in the uniform on his brother. "How did it get wrinkled?" He asked blankly. Luffy shrugged his shoulders and Ace decided to forget about it too. He noticed a few pieces of Luffy's hair out of place and reached over, fixing the other's hair. "I guess this is the best we can do for you. You look decent enough. Let's go."

Minutes later, they were out of the apartment and in Ace's car. Halfway there, it had remained silent. Ace figured maybe Luffy was still tired, it was early after all. Then, Luffy broke the silence suddenly. "Ace, I'm kind of nervous." He admitted. That was new, but it was understandable.

"It's fine to be nervous. Today's your first day."

"Yeah, but this is the first year without Ace. You graduated last year, so I won't know anyone."

That was a perfectly good reason to be nervous. "It'll be fine, Luffy. I bet you'll make some friends in no time and then you won't be able to say you don't know anyone."

"I didn't make any friends at our old school."

"That doesn't mean anything. This school isn't the same as our old one. You could make plenty of friends here." Ace grinned reassuringly. "We're in a whole new city. Everything will be different."

Luffy smiled. "I guess."

"And, because I got a new job here, we'll have more money. That reminds me. I'll be taking one of my breaks to pick you up from school today, so you can either go with me to work for two more hours or I can just drop you off at home. What do you want to do?"

Ace glanced over at Luffy. The younger grinned wide. "I want to go with Ace, of course! Being at home by myself is boring."

"Then, it's settled. You can come to work with me, but you'll have to say out of the way, got it?"

"I will not cause trouble! By the way, what is your new job?"

"That's right. I never did tell you. You're looking at a new Pyrotechnician! It wasn't easy to get the job, but because I'm pretty good at that stuff, they hired me."

"That sounds so cool! What is it?.!" Luffy had never heard of this job before, but the name alone sounded awesome! He wouldn't be able to pronounce it himself if he tried, that's how cool it was.

Ace laughed at his brother's excitement. "Believe me, it is. Have you ever seen on tv when they have fireworks that shoot up from stages, like during concerts?"

Luffy nodded. "You mean like in wrestling too? When they have all of those fireworks go off every time a wrestler comes out?"

"Yep, it's the same thing. That's what I do now. My job is to set those up under the stage and make sure that they work right, so when it's time to shoot them off, it'll be in the safest and exciting way possible."

"Wow! That's so awesome, Ace! I can't believe I know someone who does that stuff! I knew you were good at setting fireworks off, but I didn't know you would get a job where you can do it all the time!"

"Since I got my hours while you're in school, I don't get to see the final thing, but I do get to test them. This is why I told you that you need to stay out of the way. It can get dangerous. You can't be reckless around this stuff."

Luffy peeked over his seat to look in the backseats. "I get it. So, is that what all this stuff is for back here?" He pointed at the boxes behind his seat.

Ace nodded. "That's some of my equipment that I need. I loaded it all in here after I woke up this morning."

"Awesome! Where did you get all of it?.!"

"I've had it, Luffy."

"Really?.! I've never seen it around before!"

"That's because I'm not stupid enough to put it where you would find it."

"That makes sense- hey! What are you talking about? I'd be fine around this stuff!" Luffy turned back around in his seat, glaring at Ace.

"You wouldn't know what half of it does."

"But, it's not all dangerous when it's not put together, is it?" Luffy asked curiously.

"It can be. I have to make sure to be careful with everything. Caution is very important. It'll be even more dangerous at work, so I want you to be extremely careful when you're with me later."

"Don't worry! I'll be careful!"

Ace sighed. "I'm still going to worry." He mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. If you were paying attention, you'd notice that we're at your school."

"Huh?" Luffy averted his attention out the window to stare at the school. "It's huge!"

The older brother looked at the school a bit uneasy. "You think you can find the office to get your schedule?"

Luffy turned to Ace with a big grin. "Nope! That's why Ace is going to come with me, right?"

"If I didn't, I'm not sure if you'd be able to find it." Ace parked the car. "There's no other choice then. I hope I'm not taking someone's parking place." He said absently as he and Luffy got out of the car. "Doesn't matter, I'm just taking you to the office real quick. After that, you're on your own, kid."

When Ace had enrolled Luffy, he had to come to the school itself, so when they entered, he was familiar with the right direction to go in to get to the office. He talked to the lady at the desk, who gave him Luffy's schedule and locker. Ace handed the schedule to Luffy. "This is where I'm supposed to leave. I'm sure finding your classes shouldn't be too difficult."

Luffy looked down at the schedule, reading his first period class. "But, I have no idea where this room is!" He pointed at the room number listed on the paper, holding it up to Ace's face to show him.

"That's why you should ask someone." Ace turned back to the lady at the desk. "Excuse me, but could you tell me where room 104 is?"

"Oh, that room isn't too far from here. If you go down the hallway leading straight from here and turn left, you should be able to find it."

"Thank you." Ace turned around to Luffy. "Did you hear that? Go that way and follow the room numbers. Come on." Ace led Luffy out of the office. "You go that way," he pointed in the direction of the hallway in front of them. "and, I have to go this way." He pointed to the right. "I'll pick you up when school's out."

"Okay. Bye, Ace!" Luffy waved as he walked down the hallway. Ace returned that wave with a small one of his own before going in the direction they had come from.

Luffy looked down at his schedule again. So, he had history first, huh? Luffy frowned. He didn't much like history, it was a boring class. He followed the directions that office lady told Ace, walking into a hallway with lots of doors and lockers. There was a loud shrill as the bell to go to first period rang throughout the school. Luffy ignored it and the kids who began to pass by him to their classes as he continued walking down the hallway, looking at each room number. The numbers gradually got smaller and he stopped when he reached room 104. The door was open and only a few students were inside. Most of them were standing around talking to their friends.

Luffy walked in, his stomach feeling uneasy just a bit. These things always made him nervous. When the teacher noticed him, she stood from her desk and walked over. "You must be the new student I heard about. Monkey D. Luffy, I presume?"

The other nodded. "Yeah, that's me." He smiled at her and she returned a small one back.

"I'm your history teacher, Miss Robin. I'm sure the class will be excited to meet you. The bell should be ringing again soon. I'll introduce you to the class and then give you your seat." Shortly after that the bell rang again. The class went to their seats quickly, most of them staring at Luffy curiously. A few others just looked as though they didn't care or they hadn't noticed him. "Class, this is our newest student. Would you like to introduce yourself?" She asked Luffy.

Luffy stepped forward. "Hi! My name's Monkey D. Luffy and I just moved here with my older brother a week ago." Whenever he was nervous, he simply tried to shove the feeling away and be himself. That was what he was doing at the moment.

"Are there any questions for Luffy?" Miss Robin asked the class.

A girl with red hair raised her hand. "I have one!"

"Yes, Nami?"

"Where did you live before you moved here?"

Luffy thought back. He didn't exactly remember the name of the city that well. It was where Shanks lived right now too. "I think it was a city about an hour away from here. I don't remember the name. I didn't really like it there though." He laughed nervously.

"That's weird that you don't remember it." Nami stated.

A girl with long blue hair, who was sitting next to the redhead, spoke up to Nami. "I'm sure there's a reason he doesn't remember. It doesn't matter; it's not a big deal."

"Vivi's right." Miss Robin said. "Are there any other questions?" She received no answer from anyone else in the class. "No? All right. There's an empty desk next to Usopp, you can sit next to him. He's the boy with the long nose." Miss Robin pointed in the direction of the empty desk. Luffy followed her finger, noticing the boy she had referred to instantly. He went over to the desk and took a seat, placing his backpack on the floor next to his desk.

Miss Robin then started talking about the homework that was due. Luffy didn't pay much attention, instead choosing to look around the classroom. "Psssst." He turned his head to the side where he heard the sound come from, noticing that the boy Miss Robin had called Usopp, was staring at him. "Your name's Luffy, huh?"

"Yeah, you're Usopp, right?"

Usopp held up a finger. "Actually, I am known as the great Usopp-sama around here. Everyone in this school knows me. There are even those who fear me because I am so great! If you became friends with me, there's no doubt you'd be known around the whole school. You see, this one time, I-"

"Usopp, stop feeding him a bunch of lies!" The redhead from before smacked Usopp on the arm.

Luffy blinked at the girl. "He was lying?"

"Of course he was, are you stupid?.!"

"Nami, maybe you shouldn't yell at him. He is new." The girl with blue hair said. Luffy didn't remember her name. It started with a 'v,' didn't it?

"I wasn't lying!"

"Excuse me." Miss Robin cleared her voice at the front of the room. The other three quickly stopped talking and turned their attention back to Miss Robin. "You can talk after the lesson is over. For right now, pay attention."

The lesson went by rather slowly, in Luffy's opinion. He didn't listen to very much of it either. When she finished, Miss Robin assigned some work for the rest of the period, allowing the students to work with each other on it. Luffy stared at the worksheet. He honestly had no idea what any of this was saying. And, whenever that happened, Luffy deemed anything he didn't understand as unimportant and a waste of time. He could do better things, like take a nap or draw. Drawing sounded fun. He wondered if Ace had gotten him some paper.

He opened his bag and shuffled through it, retrieving one of the notebooks that were inside. He opened it to the first page and fetched a pencil from the bag as well, doodling on the paper whatever popped inside of his head. Drawing was simple and more fun than that stupid worksheet filled with words that he'd never heard of in his life.

"Luffy?" He abandoned his drawing to turn his attention to Usopp. "Wait, are you even doing the worksheet?.!"

"No." He replied simply.

"Why not? That's what you're supposed to be doing!"

"But, I didn't understand any of it!"

"Did you listen to Miss Robin when she talked about it?"

Luffy shook his head. "No, because what she was saying was boring."

"That's why you don't understand it! Here," Usopp pushed his desk over, closer to Luffy. "I can help you with it."

"What, it's your first day and you're already slacking off?" A voice asked from behind Luffy. Nami popped out from behind him, walking around to the front of his desk. "What a first impression."

"Hey, isn't your name Nami?" Luffy asked.

Nami smirked. "Yeah, why do you wanna know?"

"Maybe you shouldn't talk to her, Luffy. Nami's not the best person around." Usopp stated, a bit nervously when Nami shot him a pointed look.

"Oh, yeah? I'll have you know that a lot of people like me! Why shouldn't he talk to me? Hm?"

"Nami, everyone knows your ways with money. Whether that involves stealing it or somehow getting people involved in situations where they all of a sudden owe you money for some strange reason. I'm just giving Luffy a warning!"

"That's okay!" Luffy interrupted. "I don't even have any money! Ace doesn't exactly trust me with lots of it at a time, so he usually holds onto it. Besides, I like her, she's cool."

"Who's Ace?" Another voice asked. Luffy looked over to see Vivi now standing by his desk.

Luffy grinned. "Ace is my older brother! He's so awesome!" If only Ace knew how much praise Luffy gave him.

"Older brother? You said you lived with him, didn't you? That must be fun." Vivi continued, pulling a chair up to Luffy's desk.

"It's lots of fun! We do everything together! Ace is the coolest person I've ever known."

Vivi giggled. "He's very fortunate to have a brother like you, Luffy. You must look up to him a lot."

Luffy nodded. "Oh, I do! I'm going to be just as awesome as he is some day."

Nami pulled up a chair as well. "Wow, once you get him talking about this brother of his, he doesn't stop." At this point, they were all seated around Luffy. Usopp gave up on helping Luffy with his work in favor of talking with the other three.

"Why'd you guys move here?" Usopp asked, wanting to contribute to the conversation with the new kid.

"Well, Ace and I used to live with my grandpa, but once Ace got old enough and had enough money, he told me that he wanted to move away. I didn't like living with grandpa either, so I went with Ace!"

Usopp frowned. "Your grandpa? Why didn't you live with your parents?"

"Oh," Luffy glanced down at his notebook. "you see, Ace and I have lived with grandpa every since we were little. Ace was adopted by gramps, so we don't have the same parents. Gramps said that Ace's parents both died. I don't know much about my mom. He told me that my dad is still alive somewhere, but I've never met him." Luffy grinned again. "That's why me and Ace lived with my grandpa. Ace was old enough to move out two years ago, but he couldn't afford to until now."

"And, what about your old school? Do you miss your friends there?" Nami asked curiously.

"I didn't like my old school. I didn't have any friends. The only person I knew was Ace."

"That must have been terrible!" Vivi exclaimed.

Luffy laughed. "It wasn't that bad. I didn't need any friends when I have Ace around!"

"But still, I can't imagine-" Vivi started, but Luffy cut her off.

"It's okay. I already like it here a lot better!"

Vivi smiled. "That's good then."

"Hey, Luffy." Nami suddenly spoke. Luffy turned his attention to her. "You know, if you wanted that is, well, you said that you didn't have any friends. We could be your friends."

"I'll be Luffy's friend!" Vivi said excitedly.

"The great Usopp-sama would gladly allow someone such as yourself to be his friend!"

"Would you knock that off?.!" Nami shouted.

Luffy laughed loudly, catching all of their attentions. "Ace was right. He told me that I shouldn't worry about not making any friends."

"So, you were worried that you wouldn't have any?" Vivi asked.

"A little." Luffy answered, sheepishly. Admitting that made him feel slightly embarrassed.

"What other classes do you have?" Usopp asked.

"I'm not sure. I didn't look at them all." Luffy picked his schedule up from the desk, looking over the other classes.

Usopp grabbed the paper from him, taking a few seconds to scan over it. "We have this period, next period, and fourth period together."

"Really?"

"Yep! Don't worry; I can also help you find your other classes. I know where all of these are!"

Nami reached for the schedule. "Let me look." She looked over the page as well. Vivi looked at it over Nami's shoulder. "I have this period and next period with you."

"And, I'm in this period and your fifth period." Vivi said.

Usopp thought for a few seconds. "That means that none of us have third, sixth, and seventh period with you. I can still take you to those periods though, if you want!"

"My friend Kohza is in fifth period with us, I could introduce you to him." Vivi told Luffy as Nami handed him his schedule back.

"Sure." Luffy replied, glancing back to his schedule. "I have math next? Math is confusing!"

"And boring too, I bet." Usopp said, referring back to Luffy's earlier comment about history being boring.

"If you pay attention and study, math isn't all that hard." Vivi stated.

"I get the feeling that Luffy's not the type to study."

"How'd you know, Usopp?"

"You… just give off that vibe is all."

"How in the world did you make it through your last school if you never studied?" Nami asked curiously.

Luffy smiled wide. "Ace helped me!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "That's right, I forgot about Mr. Older Brother." Right after Nami's statement, the bell signaling the end of class rang. Luffy began putting his things back in his backpack. "Long-nose and I can take you to your next class."

"Okay."

"Luffy." Miss Robin called him from where she stood by her desk. She walked over to him and handed him a piece of paper. "Here. Take this and have it signed. Bring it back tomorrow."

"What is it?" He asked as he, Nami, and Usopp left the classroom.

Usopp looked at it. "Oh, that's the syllabus for class. Everyone has to get one of those signed. It basically tells you everything you need to know about the class. Have your brother sign it here." Usopp pointed at the line next to where it said parent/guardian. "And, you sign your own name under that. Then, you just have to give it back to Miss Robin tomorrow."

"That's easy!"

The three walked the rest of the way to second period, Nami and Usopp making sure that Luffy memorized how to get there along the way. "This class has juniors and seniors. First period was a junior class only, but we do have some classes where the grades are mixed." Nami began explaining. "Usually if a senior is in a junior class, it's because they somehow didn't take that class as a junior, but this is only for required classes. Otherwise, if the grades are mixed it's because the class is an elective." She finished, the three of them now entering the classroom.

Luffy looked around the classroom, taking in all the people around. The teacher didn't seem to be in the classroom yet, but a majority of the students were already there. "We should probably wait for the teacher to find out where you'll sit and stuff." Usopp said idly as he looked around for said teacher.

Luffy's eyes traveled to the back of the room and his eyes widened. He couldn't believe it at first, but there was absolutely no doubt. He grinned wide and left Usopp and Nami, going to the back of the classroom where a familiar person sat by themselves. They didn't seem to notice that he was there.

"Luffy!" Usopp called out.

At the same time, Luffy shouted himself. "Zoro! Hey!" He waved frantically, trying to catch the guy's attention. Usopp's jaw dropped and the other students around who had heard him stopped talking to stare at Luffy. "I didn't know you went to this school." He said when he reached the other's desk.

"Luffy?" He stared dumbly at the younger teen, then he realized the reason that Luffy must have been here. "So, this is your first day, huh?"

"Yep! I didn't think I'd see Zoro here!"

"Your injuries, are they okay now?" Zoro asked, eyeing Luffy's hand, which no longer adorned bandages.

"They're fine! Ace took me to the doctor and everything's okay."

"L-luffy?" Usopp approached the boy, looking wearily at Zoro. "Do you know Zoro?"

"Of course I do! Zoro's my friend! I think…" He turned to Zoro. "Right, Zoro?"

"Something like that."

Usopp hurriedly grabbed Luffy's arm and pulled him far enough away so Zoro couldn't hear them. "How in the world do you know Roronoa Zoro?.! I thought you said you didn't have any friends!"

"I wouldn't exactly call him my friend yet. We met a week ago, but only for a little bit, and we haven't talked since. But, now that he's in my class, I can surely become his friend!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Usopp looked at the boy, shocked. "Becoming Zoro's friend probably isn't the best idea, Luffy."

"Why not?" Luffy whined. "He's really nice!"

"Are you kidding me?.! That's not what I've heard! No one talks to that guy except for a few people. He has a bad reputation! People call him a demon!"

"But, Zoro's not a demon. How would you know what he's really like if you've never talked to him?"

"I'm not stupid enough to approach him! Unlike someone else I know..."

"Who?"

"You!" Usopp pointed at Luffy. "Look, everyone knows that guy's no good. I wouldn't hang around him if I were you."

"He's not all that bad. You just don't know him like I do."

"You barely know him either!"

"Yeah, but at least I talked to him. I won't believe those rumors unless I see they're true." After that, the bell rang and everyone went to their seats. Luffy was introduced again and seated in the back by Zoro. Considering the back of the room was the only place with empty seats, it was no surprise that he ended up there. Luffy didn't mind though, he rather liked being able to sit next to Zoro. Besides, sitting in the back meant that he could to talk to Zoro without getting caught as easy. "Hey, Zoro." He whispered.

Zoro turned his head to Luffy, indicating that Luffy had his full attention. "Do you think we'll have lunch together?" Luffy asked.

The other nodded. "Juniors and seniors eat together, so we will."

"Then, can I eat with you?"

Zoro wasn't exactly sure what to say. No one had asked him something like that before. "Don't you want to eat with your friends?" He asked instead.

"I want to eat with Zoro more though. They can eat with us if they want."

"Doesn't look like they like me that much. At least, the long-nosed one doesn't."

"Usopp? I think he's scared of you more than anything."

"Like that's much better."

"That doesn't matter. I still want to eat with you, so can I?" For the most part, Zoro usually ate by himself during lunch, except on the days when Johnny and Yosaku decided to join him. He wasn't so sure if he wanted to start a habit of associating like this. But, the kid looked so damn hopeful and he was all right to talk to. It wouldn't hurt to spend lunch with him.

"If you really want to."

"Really?.! Awesome!"

The two didn't say much else for the rest of class. The majority of the class was the teacher explaining a new lesson anyway, so they didn't have a lot of time to talk. Luffy had told Zoro he would see him at lunch when they left second period. Third period was Japanese Literature and that was really boring since Luffy didn't know anyone. Fourth was English Language with Usopp, which Luffy found just as boring, except that the class was really hard too. It was now the end of fourth period and he and Usopp were currently on their way to lunch. Because it was a nice day out, most students were having their lunches outside. They both walked outside, Luffy looking around for Zoro. "Do you see Zoro anywhere? He said I could eat lunch with him."

Luffy had his hand against his forehead, shielding the sun from his eyes like a visor as he looked around. "He what?.!" Usopp jumped away from Luffy.

"I asked if I could eat with him and he said yes. Look! There he is over there!" Luffy pointed and started to run over that way.

Usopp pulled him back before he could get that far."I was serious when I said you shouldn't hang out with him! He's trouble!"

Luffy glared at the other. "And, I said that you don't know him like I do. Zoro's not a bad person and I want to eat with him. If you don't want to come, that's fine."

Usopp looked from Luffy to Zoro, who happened to be sitting against a tree by himself eating, and back to Luffy again. "I guess I can give him a chance. But, he only gets one!"

"That's the spirit!" Luffy then proceeded to run over to Zoro as fast as he could, dropping down in front of the older teen. Usopp followed at a slower pace, taking a seat next to Luffy on the ground. He didn't say anything to Zoro, focusing on opening his lunch instead. "You remember Usopp!" Luffy slapped said boy on the back, surprising the other.

"Luffy! Don't do that!"

Luffy blinked innocently. "What?"

"Forget it."

"Oh, yeah! Hey, Zoro! I forgot to tell you before, but I wanted to thank you for getting Shanks' hat for me." Luffy pulled the hat from his backpack that he was still carrying around. He never had found his locker, but it didn't matter since he didn't mind carrying it. "Stupid guy ripped it, but Ace fixed it!" He put the strawhat on his head and grinned.

"Shanks? So, it's not your hat?" Zoro asked.

Luffy got his lunch out that Ace had made him that morning and opened it. "Shanks is my friend, but he's much older than me. He gave it to me, but because it was his, I still call it that. I don't go anywhere without it! It's my treasure."

"Treasure?" Usopp asked.

"It's my treasure because it's my most precious possession."

Zoro smirked. "So much that you even bring it to school when you can't wear it in class."

"Did someone say something about treasure?" A new voice inquired. All three turned their attention to the newcomer.

"You'd hear that from a mile away, wouldn't you?" Usopp deadpanned.

Zoro's eye twitched. Okay, allowing Luffy to eat lunch with him was all right, and Usopp wasn't bad either since he didn't talk to him, but now there were two girls getting comfortable by Luffy. He didn't remember saying all of these people could eat with them.

"Of course. Who do you take me fo-"

"NAMI-SWAANNNN! VIVI-CHWAANNNN!"

Nami face palmed. Vivi giggled nervously. Usopp sighed. Luffy blinked. And, Zoro's eye twitched again.

There was now a blond teen kneeling on one knee before both girls, holding a paper plate in each hand with some sort of cake on them. Zoro had seen this guy around before and he was the most annoying person he'd ever seen. Chasing pretty girls around all the time and acting really cocky. The guy drove him insane.

"Who's this guy and why does he have food?" Luffy asked.

"Nami, Vivi, I used the home ec room to make these for you."

Usopp leaned over to Luffy. "That's Sanji. He's kind of a pervert and likes to cook things. And, he likes Nami and Vivi _a lot_."

"Sanji, that's very nice of you." Vivi said, accepting the cake.

"I won't refuse free things." Nami stated, taking the other plate from him.

Sanji sat down as well, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Not like there were any teachers around anyway. He spotted Luffy and looked to Usopp. "Who's the kid?"

"My name's Luffy!" Luffy yelled with glee.

Sanji crossed his arms over his chest. "You new or something?"

"Sure am!"

The blond looked around. "This is strange. The new kid with the infamous Roronoa Zoro, it's almost too good to be true. I wonder how this happened." Sanji looked to Zoro. "You do have quite the rep around here."

Zoro grit his teeth, becoming increasingly angry with the cook. "So do you, but I'd say yours is worse. A pervert doesn't exactly have the best reputation."

"What did you say, moss-head?.!"

"You heard me! You're nothing but a pervert who goes chasing every damn girl he finds attractive!"

"At least I don't go around ignoring every person who tries to talk to me! I've never seen you communicate with a damn person. Your social skills are shit!"

"What's that compared to your dirty habits?.!"

"HEY!" Nami shouted. Both men stopped arguing, continuing to glare at each other after. "You two just met each other and you're all ready fighting? Can't we eat in peace?.!" Nami sighed. "Sanji, leave him alone. You did start it, after all."

"Yes, Nami-swan!" Sanji left Zoro in favor of moving to sit closer to Nami and Vivi.

Zoro sat back down against the tree, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. If he didn't talk to any of them, maybe he'd start to feel better. "Wow, I didn't know Zoro got angry that easy." He heard Luffy say with a laugh. "It was funny watching Zoro and Sanji yell at each other, Nami, you shouldn't have stopped them."

Nami glared at the boy. "If I hadn't, I'm pretty sure a full, blown out fight wouldn't have been far away."

"Luffy's right though. Maybe Zoro should learn to control his anger." Usopp stated without thinking. Zoro cracked open an eye at the comment. Usopp shrunk back away. "I'm sorry! Nevermind! Forget I said anything!"

Luffy laughed loudly. "Usopp's scared of Zoro!"

"I am not!"

Vivi giggled. "Your face said otherwise, Usopp."

Zoro smirked to himself. The kid did look pretty terrified of him. Maybe he could amuse himself by taking advantage of the other's obvious fright. Luffy said his name was Usopp, right? "Oi, Usopp!"

Usopp shrieked loudly and hid behind Luffy. He peeked over the other's shoulder at Zoro. "Y-y-yes?"

"Care to repeat what you said before?" Zoro's smirk deepened as Usopp's grip on Luffy's shoulders tightened.

"N-no! I take back what I said! I didn't mean it! I swear!"

At this point, Luffy was laughing so hard, that tears were forming. "U-uso..pp… haha… you really are… scared of… hahaha… of Zoro!"

Zoro leaned back, placing his hands behind his head. His job was done. If the others wanted to stick around, that was fine. The only one he didn't like was that damn cook, but he wasn't bothering him at the moment. Luffy's laugher died down and he wiped the tears from his eyes. Usopp cautiously moved from behind Luffy, sitting far away from Zoro. "Ne, Zoro, I don't get why so many people are scared of you." Luffy said, absently munching on his food.

Zoro shrugged. "Maybe they think I'll slash them apart with my swords." He replied casually, chancing a look over at Usopp to see his reaction.

Usopp's eyes widened. "S-swords…?"

"You have swords?.!" Luffy's eyes were shining with excitement. Zoro nodded. "That's so awesome! Do you know how to use them?.!"

"There would be no point in having them if I didn't know how."

"Can you show me how you use them some day?.! I want to see!"

"Hm. I guess."

Usopp looked as though he could faint any moment. "Please, tell me he's lying." He said to no one in particular.

"Is that really true?" Nami asked. "Do you really have swords that you know how to use?"

"Yeah, I use three-sword style."

Vivi made a small sound of surprise. "Wow, Mr. Bushido. A swordsman sure is rare to find during this day and age, but to find one who knows three-sword style is amazing! Not many people can master that!"

"You know about it?" Nami asked.

"Yes, I do. Some of the guards that father hired are swordsmen, so I've learned a few things from them. Three-sword style can't be mastered by just any swordsman."

Luffy's eyes sparkled as he took in the information. "Zoro's so cool!"

"Even if he practices this 'three-sword style' that doesn't mean he's any good at it. He could be a shitty swordsman for all we know!" Sanji butted in.

"Is that right, you stupid curly brow?.!" Zoro retorted.

Vivi spoke up this time. "Sanji, you shouldn't say things like that. I bet Mr. Bushido is a fine swordsman."

"Vivi-chwan!"

Zoro glared at the heart-eyed cook. To let himself be manipulated like that was just stupid. He looked retarded, in Zoro's opinion. Zoro averted his attention to Luffy. "Lunch will be over soon."

Luffy whined. "All ready?"

"He's right." Nami said, standing up.

The rest followed her action. Vivi turned to Luffy. "I can show you to your next class. We have that period together. Remember?"

Luffy nodded. "Okay! See you, Zoro!" He called as Vivi led him to fifth period.

Zoro sighed, walking to his next class. What exactly did he get himself into by meeting his kid?


	5. V: Luffy's First Day Part II

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: Not the best chapter, but it's something! This story should begin to pick up better after this chapter though. At least, I hope it does.

* * *

><p>It was seventh period and to say that Luffy was confused would be a little more than an understatement. He wasn't sure why the school had put him in a home economics class; the only bright side to this was that there was food! He knew this because even if he hadn't been in one of these classes before, they were currently in a room with lots of stoves, sinks, and cabinets. It was like a room with multiple kitchens. And, instead of desks, they had tables that seated about five or six people each. The teacher had dismissed the other students to go to each of their stations, where they worked in small groups to prepare the new food they were given instructions on how to do.<p>

"Luffy." Said boy looked up at his teacher. She motioned him over with her finger. Luffy noticed that alongside her was also that blond haired guy from lunch earlier. "This is Sanji." She began. "And, he's the best student I've ever had. He can cook anything. This is why for the first week or so, I'll be having him help you in this class. You can ask him anything. He'll catch you up and teach you how to prepare some of the foods that we've already made. Today, he's going to start you off simple by helping you make miso soup." She turned to Sanji. "I'm sure you can handle everything else for the rest of class, Sanji." With that, she walked away from the both of them.

"You're that guy from lunch who was fighting with Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed.

Sanji glared at the mention of that marimo. He really hated that guy. "Don't talk to me about him." He ground out at Luffy.

Luffy blinked in confusion. "But, why? Do you hate him that much?"

"Of course I do!" Sanji began walking to one of the empty kitchenettes with Luffy following behind. "Who would like that guy anyway? He's so annoying. Talks to no one. Acts like he's better than everyone else! I can't stand people like him."

Luffy leaned against the counter while Sanji went through the cabinets, pulling out ingredients. "I don't get it. First, Usopp says that I shouldn't hang out with Zoro because he's a bad person, and when I talk to him in class, people around us look at me weird, and now Sanji thinks that Zoro's a bad person too. Am I the only one who doesn't see this? Because Zoro's not a bad person at all! He helped me!" Luffy smiled real big at his last statement.

Sanji raised his visible eyebrow. "What do you mean be _helped _you? That marimo doesn't care about anyone but himself."

"I'm not lying! He really did help me. Some guys attacked me and he helped me after it happened. And, I talked to him when I was at his apartment. He's not a bad guy! I'm really glad that he goes to this school, so I can become his friend."

The cook didn't know what else to say, because around school, it was assumed that Zoro was just a heartless, anti-social bastard who didn't want to associate with anyone. Hearing that Zoro thought about another person like this was something Sanji found hard to believe. "Enough talk about him. We need to get started on this."

The younger was by Sanji's side in seconds. "What do I do?.! Do I get to eat this when it's done?.!"

"If it turns out, then yeah, you get to eat it. And, with having someone such as myself helping you make it, I guarantee that it'll turn out- hey! Don't touch those!" Sanji slapped Luffy's hand away from some of the ingredients sitting on the counter. "What do you think you're doing? We're not using those yet!"

Luffy whined. "But, I'm hungry! Can't I eat a carrot or _something_?"

"No. You need to pay attention and help. You'll be able to eat when we're done, and if you don't help, then I just won't let you eat it."

Luffy pouted at the man. "Fiiiinneee. What do I have to do?"

Sanji began instructing Luffy on how to make the simple dish. He helped Luffy chop the vegetables, but other than that, would tell Luffy exactly what to do, so Luffy would be the one cooking it. It was obvious that this kid never cooked. "Have you ever cooked anything?" The blond asked as they finished up the soup.

Luffy stirred the soup as he talked. "I've cooked stuff in the microwave before, but never on the stove like this. Ace always cooks for me."

"He your brother or something?"

"Yep! We moved here together a week ago. But, even when we lived with gramps, he still cooked for me since gramps wasn't home often."

"Does that mean it's just you and your brother living together now?"

"Sure does! So, Sanji, do you live in your own apartment like Zoro or what?" Luffy asked.

Sanji grabbed the ladle Luffy had been using to stir. "No, I live at the restaurant that I work at."

"You _live _at a restaurant?.!"

The other nodded and taste tested the soup, before deeming it good enough and beginning to pour it in a bowl. "My old man owns the place." He handed Luffy the bowl and they both sat down at one of the tables.

"That must be so cool! Maybe I can have Ace take me there someday. What's it called?"

"The Baratie."

"The Baratie." Luffy repeated to himself. "I'll remember that!" Or, at least he hoped he'd remember that.

It was nearing the end of class, and Luffy hurriedly finished the soup. Sanji told him he had to wash any dishes he'd used, so at the moment, they were currently washing up the few dishes they'd used to make the soup with. Sanji would wash and Luffy would dry, placing each dish on the drying rack. "Ne, Sanji."

Sanji grunted in return and Luffy took that as a sign to continue with what he wanted to say. "You're really fun to talk to and I like you, so I wanted to know if you'd like to be my friend."

The blond handed Luffy the last dish, draining the water from the sink. "Don't you have the others at lunch earlier?"

"I do, but it doesn't hurt to have more friends!"

Sanji thought it over. "I guess not." Then, a thought struck him that made him rethink his decision. "I don't like the idea of having to see that shitty swordsman every day though."

Luffy blinked. "You mean Zoro?"

"Who else would I be talking about?"

"Well, you don't have to be Zoro's friend if you don't want to. I just wanted to know if you'd be my friend. And, I get that doing that would mean you and Zoro would be around each other more, but you could put your differences aside, couldn't you?" Clearly, Luffy did not understand how deep the two's hatred for each other went.

"Obviously, that's not going to happen! That guy is so thick-headed and stubborn!"

The other laughed. "I guess that means you'll have to put up with him then!"

"Who says I'm going to be your friend anyway?.!"

"No one! But, you should!"

"And, why's that?"

"Because I'm awesome! Duh!"

Sanji didn't say anything else. This kid sure was something else. The bell rang shortly after and kids raced out of the classroom, excited that the school day had finally some to an end. Luffy gathered his things quickly. Since school was over, that meant he could wear his hat, so he removed it from his bag and stuck it on his head. "Hey, Sanji? Could you show me where people are picked up here? Ace said he'd be here to get me and I don't know where it is."

Sanji sighed. "Sure, but I'm not doing this every day, so you better memorize how to get there!"

"I will!" Sanji grabbed his things as well, and they both left the now empty classroom.

"It's not that hard to find your way around this school." Sanji said as he led the way. "You'll get used to it in a few days probably."

"It's just so much bigger than my old school! I've never been to a school this big before."

"It's not that great. Here." Sanji stopped at some doors. "This is one of the exits in the school. This is the one that takes you to the parking lot where the students park and where other's who don't have cars or can't drive are picked up."

"Thanks!" Luffy waved at him as he walked out the doors. He scanned the area, spotting Ace's car and running over to it. He opened the passenger side door and slipped in, greeting his brother with a huge grin. "Ace!"

Ace returned his brother's smile with one of his own. "You look happy." He stated as be pulled out of the parking lot. "School was good?"

"It was awesome!" Luffy threw his backpack in the back seat. "I made lots of friends today! Oh, and remember Zoro? He goes to my school! How cool is that? He's even in some of my classes and I had lunch with him today."

"Really? I told you you'd make friends."

"I met Usopp, Nami, and Vivi first period! Then, I saw Zoro second period. There's also Sanji! He taught me how to cook today. And, Vivi had me meet her friend Kohza, but I don't think he's really my friend."

Ace laughed at his brother's excitement. "That's quite a lot there. And, exactly why did this Sanji guy teach you to cook?" He asked curiously.

Now that Sanji was brought up, Luffy suddenly remembered the restaurant he said he'd ask Ace to take him to. "I'm in home ec with him and we had to cook. He taught me how to make miso soup. He also said that he lives at this restaurant he works at! I think he called it The Bari- Baret- wait, no. What was it called?.!" Luffy cursed himself. He just _knew _that he'd forget the name of it! He thought back on their conversation earlier, and after a few seconds, it finally came to him. "The Baratie! Yeah! That was it! So, can we go there some time, Ace?"

"I don't see why not. I mean, if it doesn't cost too much, then it shouldn't be a problem. Anything else exciting happen today?"

Luffy recalled the day. Almost everything had been exciting! Except for the classes, of course. The most exciting thing had to be hanging out with Zoro though. It turned out that not only did Zoro have second period with him, but he was also in his sixth period too, which was gym class. Now that Luffy thought about it, so was Sanji. Weird that he hadn't noticed before. Then, he remembered lunch and when Zoro had brought up that he had swords. "Oh! Actually, at lunch today, Zoro said that he has three swords and he can use them! He called it three-sword style!" Luffy exclaimed, proud that he had remembered such details.

The older brother lifted an eyebrow. "Three-sword style? Never heard of it. I wonder if that means there's a dojo somewhere around here."

"Vivi said that it's rare to find someone who knows how to use it or something like that. I asked if he could show me how he uses them some time and he said yes! But," He looked down at his hands.

Ace noticed his little brother's actions. "But what?" He asked.

Luffy continued to stare into his lap. "Zoro didn't seem like a bad person to you, did he?"

The other was slightly confused by the question, unsure of what Luffy was talking about, but answered nonetheless. "No, did someone say he was?"

Luffy hesitated. "Well, Usopp told me that I shouldn't be friends with him because he's a bad person and that's why no one talks to him at school. He said people call him a demon and that it wouldn't be good for me to hang out with him. Sanji said he was bad too. And, when I first noticed him in second period, people kept staring when I was talking to him. I acted like I didn't notice though. It's just weird that everyone at school doesn't seem to like him that much. But, if he was a bad person, he wouldn't have helped me, right? I talked to him! And, he doesn't seem anything at all like the person people at school say he is."

Ace fully understood now what was going on. "Luffy, I'll try to explain this to you in the best way possible, so listen. I'm most certain that Zoro is not a bad person. At least, he's not as bad as your classmates are making him out to be. To me, it seems like the Zoro we met isn't the same Zoro that the other's at school see. Are you following me?" He didn't want to get too deep into this if Luffy didn't understand what he was saying.

"A little. What do you mean he's not the same?"

"What I mean is that Zoro probably doesn't act the way he did, when he met you a week ago, at school. I'm sure he has his reasons for not doing so, but the way he acts there is the reason the other kids don't like him. They haven't seen the side that you have. It could be that Zoro does it on purpose, or maybe he doesn't, I don't know, but that's what it sounds like to me. But, then there's the question about why he would treat you differently than the other students."

Luffy processed what Ace had just told him. When Ace put it like that, Luffy understood why the others at school treated Zoro the way they did. "So, you're saying that Zoro acts different around me than he does at school, but the way he is around me is in a good way, and the way he acts at school is bad, and that's why people say he's a bad person."

Ace nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying. I can't say that it's completely true since I don't know the guy that well, but from what you told me, it seems that way."

"I get it! That makes sense. Then, that just means that I have to make Zoro be himself more at school! If I do that, then everyone else will see that he isn't a bad person." Luffy couldn't wait! Once people started to see who Zoro really was, they wouldn't call him a bad person anymore. Maybe then, Zoro and Sanji could resolve their differences as well.

This whole idea was excellent! Ace was really good at helping him understand things and giving advice when he needed it. "What are your other friends like, besides Zoro?" Ace suddenly asked. "Am I going to get to meet any of them?"

"If you want!" Luffy was practically bouncing in his seat as he talked about his new friends. "I told them ALL about you too! Usopp has a long nose which is weird, but it's funny, and he told me all kinds of stories fourth period! Then, there's Nami. She has red hair and she seems to like money a lot. She can also be kind of mean sometimes. Vivi has blue hair, which is cool! She told me that her dad is famous and that he has a lot of money. And, then there's Sanji. He and Zoro don't like each other too well. Sanji likes to cook and his eyebrow is curled. I don't know why, but it's awesome! And, Usopp said that Sanji's a pervert, which is kinda funny, and that he likes Nami and Vivi a lot."

Okay, so Luffy had made some rather interesting friends on his first day, but despite that, at least he had some. And, to top it off, two of them happened to be girls. Maybe his little brother would end up with a new girlfriend too. Ace decided to ask about them. "So, these girls, Nami and Vivi; are they pretty?"

Luffy didn't question why Ace had suddenly asked that. "Yeah, I guess. Should they be pretty?"

"Whether they should be or not doesn't matter. But, do _you _think they are? Do you like them?"

"Of course!"

Sometimes, Luffy was way too naïve. "I know you like them as friends, but what I'm asking is if you like one of them as more than a friend."

"More than a friend?"

"Like a girlfriend."

"Oh!" Luffy understood what Ace was saying now. "No. I'm pretty sure Kohza likes Vivi, and Sanji looks like he likes Nami a lot. But, no, I don't like any girls like that."

Well, there went any hopes Ace had that his brother would have a girlfriend. Luffy was far from being ugly, so Ace figured the only reason his brother was still single was because he was too dense, and he happened to be really annoying at times too. Or, maybe Luffy was just not interested in dating. Simple as that. It could also be the fact that, well, it's not like Ace hadn't thought about it before, but maybe his little brother wasn't interested in dating _girls. _As awkward as Ace found it to be to think about it, Luffy could, in other words, possibly shoot for the other team. But, it wasn't like Luffy took any interest in guys either. At least, it didn't appear so. Ace was stumped. So, _what _did his little brother like? He could always ask Luffy some more questions. "Hey, Lu, do you want a girlfriend?"

Luffy thought about it. _Did _he want a girlfriend? He'd never thought about those kinds of things before, but now that Ace brought it up; did he? "I don't know. I never thought about it." He admitted. And, that was the truth. Luffy had never thought about dating anyone, he'd never liked anyone that way before either.

So, that was it, huh? Luffy had just never thought about the whole dating scene before. Ace wasn't exactly surprised by that, but Luffy _was _seventeen and that meant he did have hormones like every other teenager. Did those things just not interest him then? Because most guys Luffy's age either had girlfriends or at least thought about wanting one. Ace knew he'd had those thoughts years ago. Hell, he'd had his first girlfriend at sixteen, but he and Luffy were a lot different in certain aspects, and that must have been one of them.

The conversation dropped from there and eventually Ace had made it back to work. He had two hours left before his shift was over and then he and Luffy could go home. "You stay with me. I don't want you running off someplace where I can't see you." Ace said as they got out of the car. Ace had brought them to an outdoor concert venue. The place was empty except for the people who were working to set the place up. They had about three hours left before people would start arriving. Apparently, some famous band was playing there tonight. Ace hadn't bothered to catch the name.

Luffy followed his older brother into the venue. Some of the workers gave him strange looks, but he ignored them. Ace checked back in from his break and brought Luffy to the stage. "Stay by me and don't mess with any equipment." The younger looked around at all the stuff and people. There were so many awesome things sitting around! He'd love to look at it all, but he had to listen to Ace! So, he followed his big brother to an area by the stage and sat down next to whatever it was Ace had started messing with.

He watched for a while as Ace worked. He had no idea what Ace was working with or what he was doing, but it looked complicated, yet fascinating at the same time. When an hour went by, Luffy began to get bored with simply sitting around. He wondered if there was any food around here. "Ace, is there any food here?" He called out. Ace was currently underneath the stage doing something, and he'd told Luffy not to follow him, leaving the other to sit by himself.

Ace appeared from under the stage a few seconds later. He was glad he only had another hour of work left because being outside in this weather, and _under _a stage was beginning to make him really hot and sweaty. He pushed the hair out of his face, wiping the sweat from his forehead away at the same time. "You're hungry?" Of course, Luffy was hungry! When was he not? There were a few vending machines around, but Ace couldn't exactly leave to get the boy some food, and he couldn't let Luffy go out on his own either. Ace looked around, spotting a man he'd gotten to know over the past few days standing not too far away. He seemed to be talking to some other guy, but that was about it. "Hey, Marco!" Ace called out to the blond haired man. Marco excused himself from the man he had been talking to and made his way over to Ace. "You aren't doing anything, are you?"

Marco glanced down at Luffy who was staring at him curiously. "No. Is there something you need me for?"

The guy had his shirt open and the first thing Luffy noticed about him, was the tattoo on his torso. Ace reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He pulled out some money and handed it over to Marco. "Could you take my little brother to the vending machines? I don't exactly want him going by himself."

"Sure thing." He took the money from Ace and looked back at Luffy who was STILL staring at him. "You coming or not, kid?"

Luffy stopped his staring. "Where am I going?" He asked, standing up.

"Marco's going to take you to the vending machine. You might not want to spend all the money I gave him on food though. Make sure you buy yourself something to drink too." Ace replied. "If Luffy gives you any trouble there, let me know, and I'll take care of it." He told Marco, giving Luffy a warning look.

"Whoo! Food!" Luffy shouted as he and Marco walked away. He glanced at the other guy again, getting another look at him. "So, you know Ace, huh?"

"Only for a couple days. He works a lot harder than I expected him too."

"Ace always works hard!" Luffy exclaimed. "Even when he was in school, he worked really hard. He got the best grades and made lots of money at his job!"

"You two must be close." Marco stated. "I may have only known Ace for a few days, but he keeps talking about you."

"Ace talks about me?.!"

"He wouldn't shut up. Kept saying how you seem to always cause some kind of trouble, how you never listen to what he says, and then earlier he went on about how he hoped you were doing okay at school." Marco stopped at the vending machines, handing Luffy the money Ace gave him. "He said the only reason he was brining you to work was because he didn't want you to be stuck at home by yourself for two hours. I have the feeling that you are all I'm going to hear from him from now on."

Luffy had his hands and face glued to the machine, trying to decide on everything he wanted. He turned his head to Marco. "Funny, I talk about Ace a lot too. I never knew he talked about me that much though. Ace must love me a lot then!" Luffy smiled real big and slipped some money into the machine, pressing the button for the snack that he wanted. He continued doing this until he had just enough money for a drink, like Ace had said he should get. His arms were full of all kinds of snacks as he and Marco walked back to where Ace was. Luffy dropped all of the snacks on the ground and ran over to his brother, giving him a big hug. "Ace loves me!" He chanted, holding on tight.

Ace was surprised by the sudden actions of his brother, and tried to push him off. "What are you doing, Luffy?.!"

"Marco says Ace talks about me ALL the time, so that means that Ace loves me!"

"Of course I do, now get off!" Ace pushed at Luffy and Luffy let go.

Luffy made a pouting face. "Yeah, but you never tell me you do." Luffy leaped at the other again, wrapping his arms around Ace's neck tightly.

Ace tried not to choke as Luffy hugged him around his neck. "Luffy, get off!"

"Not until Ace tells me he loves me!"

"Luffy! I'm trying to work here!"

"Say you love me and I'll let go!"

Ace stopped struggling. "Fine. I love you. Let go."

"I love Ace too!" And, for the fun of it, Luffy gave the older one a quick kiss on the cheek, pulling away and beginning to devour his snacks after.

He sighed and looked to Marco, who had watched everything, and was smirking. "This is what I live with every day."

"You don't seem to be complaining that much."

"Well, no, but I'm used to it, I guess. It's tiring though."

"I don't doubt that."

By the time Luffy finished all of his food and his drink, it was very close to the end of Ace's shift. Ace finished up the last few touches, rechecking everything to make sure it all looked right. "Okay, Luffy. You ready to go home?"

Luffy nodded energetically. "Uh-huh!" Great, the sugar in that soda must have made him more hyper. Ace should have known better. When they were back in Ace's car, Luffy spoke up again. "I like Marco! He's cool. Are you two friends?"

"Huh?" Ace looked over at Luffy. "Oh, Marco? I guess. He's one of the only guys who I talk to at work."

"Will I get to meet him again?"

"Probably."

When they arrived at their apartment, Luffy grabbed his backpack from the back seat, following Ace inside. He slipped his shoes off and walked over to the couch, dropping his bag by it, and falling onto the soft cushions. It felt really nice to be back at home again. Luffy stretched out on the couch and yawned. School was long and required you to get up early. He could so fall asleep right about now. Ace watched his younger brother. "Do you have any homework?" He asked.

"I don't know." Luffy mumbled. He wanted to sleep.

Ace sighed and sat on the floor, opening the other's backpack. He pulled out a bunch of papers, going through them all. One pile was all of the syllabuses from Luffy's teachers and the other was papers that weren't finished from his classes. "Luffy, you still have this work to do."

Luffy rolled over on the couch, burying his face in one of the pillows. "I don't feel like doing it." He replied, his voice muffled.

"Too bad, because you have to. If you don't do your work, you won't be able to pass your classes."

Luffy kicked his feet. "But, I don't understand any of it."

Ace looked over the assignments. He remembered some of this stuff from when he was in high school. "Then, I'll help you, so get your face out of the couch."

The other lifted his face and turned his head to Ace. He muttered something and reluctantly moved from his comfortable spot on the couch to sit on the floor next to Ace. The older brother began trying to explain to Luffy the parts that he could remember on the first worksheet, which happened to be that worksheet Miss Robin handed out in first period.

Luffy really disliked homework, but having Ace around to help made it much more bearable.

Thirty minutes later into Luffy's homework, Ace found himself getting slightly distracted. The thought of school was making him feel uneasy as he thought back on something Shanks had told him the night he stayed.

"_You know, I got a phone call yesterday." Shanks said from the couch. Ace was busy fixing Luffy's hat since he found some materials he could work with. When he didn't say anything, Shanks continued. "It was from Garp." _

_Now, _that_ caught Ace's attention. He looked over at Shanks. "What did he say?" _

"_He said he wanted me to tell you that he planned on visiting you and Luffy sometime in the next few weeks. He doesn't know when because of work and all, so he didn't give me an exact date." Ace looked down at the straw hat in his hands, his stomach twisting at the thought of the old man coming over. "I'm worried about Luffy." Shanks said seriously."Maybe Garp really just wants to visit, but something doesn't seem right. I'm betting it has something to do with Luffy living here."_

"_You're probably right." Ace's grip on the hat tightened as he became angry. "I took Luffy with me and now he's coming back for him. I just know it. He didn't expect Luffy to move out with me, so he figured once I was gone, he could finally send Luffy off to some military school or something. He told me he was planning to once Luffy entered high school, but I wouldn't let him, and now he's trying to take Luffy away." Ace grit his teeth, his anger rising. "That's not what Luffy would want! And, I'm not letting him do it. If Luffy doesn't want to go, then I won't let the old man take him."_

"_I think that we both know that's not what Luffy would want. I suggest you enroll Luffy in school here and when Garp comes, do what you think is best. You're his guardian now, not Garp."_

After that, Ace took Shanks' advice and enrolled Luffy in school, but now he had to look forward to Garp's visit soon, and he didn't like the idea of the old man coming over, especially with Luffy around. "Luffy?" Luffy looked away from his homework to Ace. "How do you feel about the old man coming over?"

Luffy shrugged. "I don't know, why? Is he coming over?"

"Sometime in the next month apparently."

"Oh." Luffy smiled. "I guess it'll be good to see gramps again! Well, as long as he doesn't try punching me again like before, 'cause that really hurts!" Luffy pouted, remembering the times when Garp would scold him for something stupid he'd done, giving Luffy his own form of discipline while he was at it. Luffy loved his grandpa and all, but those punches really did hurt!

Ace sighed. He hoped he and Shanks were wrong about their assumptions for Garp's upcoming visit. He planned to be prepared for it either way. He wouldn't let Garp take Luffy from him, from his friends, because of his own selfish reasons. That's not what Luffy would want after all.


	6. VI: Bullying and a Promise of Ice Cream

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: Kind of a short chapter, but I'm hoping I can make the next one longer.

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><p>"Hey, Zoro. When do you think I can watch you use your swords? You said you'd show me!" Luffy and Zoro were currently sitting at their normal spot during lunch with the others when Luffy asked that. This spot was the same one they all had had lunch together at two weeks ago on Luffy's first day of school. Ever since then, Luffy and the rest of his friends, even that damn cook, had taken it upon themselves to have lunch with Zoro every day, in this exact spot.<p>

These two weeks had been quite interesting for Zoro though. He found with each day, that he minded less and less that Luffy and his friends would sit with him and talk to him. After the first week, Usopp even stopped becoming as terrified of him as he had been on Luffy's first day. It was a strange feeling, suddenly having all of these people to talk to and hang out with. Some may have still been slightly wary of him, but for the most part, they'd gotten used to him being around.

And, Zoro just did not know how to feel about this sudden change. It wasn't exactly a bad thing; he just wasn't used to this sort of thing. It was like they were all becoming friends. He hadn't had a true friend since childhood, and she had passed away so long ago. He supposed that was the reason he never did get close to too many people, or make friends for that matter.

At the moment, all the others were talking with each other, so none of them were paying attention to Luffy and Zoro. That was right. He _had _told Luffy that hadn't he? To be honest, that had slipped from his mind completely, but now that Luffy said something, he definitely remembered. He couldn't exactly take the kid to the dojo he practiced at on any day, he had work an hour after school, so he'd have to figure out the next day he had off. If he remembered correctly, it might be this Saturday, but he couldn't be sure. "I'm surprised you remembered something like that." He told the other.

"How could I forget?.! I don't forget things Zoro tells me. Which is weird because I forget everything else that other people tell me. Oh well!" Luffy's eyes were sparkling with excitement as he stared at Zoro. "Are you still going to show me?"

Zoro shrugged. It wouldn't hurt to take the kid out and show him. Who knew, maybe then he could become better friends with Luf- wait, what? He _wanted _to be better friends with the younger boy? That was different. It certainly gave him a weird feeling after the thought slipped out. Zoro decided to push all of that to the back of his mind for the current time. "I guess. But, I have work after school every day this week, so I can't show you on a school day. I'll recheck Saturday."

Oh, wow. Saturday was only four days away! Now Luffy definitely couldn't wait. "Saturday?.! I'll have to tell Ace! Where are we going to go?"

The most logical place would be that dojo Zoro hadn't been to in a few months. "I know this girl whose family owns a dojo. We can go there."

"Is she cool?"

"No, she's annoying." Zoro replied flatly. At least, _he _thought she was really annoying, but he thought a lot of people were annoying.

"I've never been to a dojo before. Are they fun?"

Well, in Zoro's opinion, no, they weren't that fun. But, he was so used to them, that the only purpose they served him was an enclosed place where he could practice his sword fighting and train to become stronger and better. But, to Luffy, a dojo might be fun. The kid was easily amused by many things that Zoro didn't find all that entertaining. "I don't think so, but you might like it."

Luffy's grin widened. "I can't wait!"

* * *

><p>At the end of lunch, Luffy was left to go to his fifth period by himself that day. It turned out that Vivi hadn't showed up to school, and since they normally went together, it would be just him today. He didn't exactly know why Vivi wasn't at school; maybe he could ask Kohza about it in fifth.<p>

This was so exciting! Luffy couldn't keep the grin off his face as he walked down the halls that he'd come to memorize pretty well over the past two weeks. By the third day, Luffy knew how to get to all of his classes, and a few days after that, he also knew how to get to places like the library and such. He'd adjusted to the school very well, but he hadn't made any other friends. That didn't bother him though, because he felt that he had just enough.

The fact that he was finally going to get to see Zoro use his swords stirred up an anxious feeling inside of him. He was glad that he'd been able to get the others to become accepting of Zoro, and the more he saw Zoro open up to the others, the happier it made him feel. And, Zoro was being kind enough to take him to a dojo just because Luffy asked him something as silly as to watch him use those awesome swords he talked about. He just knew he'd be counting down the next few days out of pure excitement.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts as he walked to class, that he never noticed a blond haired man casually leaning against a row of lockers, arms crossed, watching him from ahead. The guy had a scar over his right eye, on his forehead, and he seemed to be anticipating something as Luffy got closer. There was another guy standing next to him who had blue hair. The blond smirked wide and casually stuck out a leg when Luffy walked by him.

It was too late for Luffy to notice anything, before he tripped over the blond's leg, and fell. Luffy sat up, a bit surprised at his abrupt fall, and glanced over at the leg that the blond guy still had sticking out. His eyes traveled up the leg, to the guy's face. The blond laughed very loudly while the blue haired guy only snickered. "Did you see that, Sarquiss?.! The kid actually fell!" The brute blonde continued to laugh at Luffy's misfortune.

This 'Sarquiss' guy looked down on Luffy. "He looks really dumb."

The blond bent down, closer to Luffy. "Hey, new kid. What's your name?"

Luffy glared back. This guy had the nerve to trip him, laugh at him, and then ask him his name? "Why'd you trip me?" He asked instead.

The other guy grinned. "I wanted to see if you were stupid enough to fall for it. Any person who wasn't an idiot would have seen my foot there two feet away, and could have dodged it." The blond stood back up to his full height. "I've seen you with that Roronoa guy a lot. It looks like when he's not around, you're nothing more than some weak kid." The blond's eyes darkened. "Yeah, I can see us getting along real well this year. The name's Bellamy, don't forget it."

"What are you tal-"

Sarquiss laughed "You might wanna get a move on, kid. Fifth period starts in less than a minute. Surely you wouldn't want to be late."

Luffy glared at the two guys before getting off the ground, and walking away. Choosing to ignore them sounded like the best option, and he couldn't be late to class either, so he sped his pace up into a slow run, arriving to class at the last second. Who did that guy think he was tripping him like that? And, to think he'd been in such a good mood too.

* * *

><p>It was now sixth period, which meant gym class. Luffy particularly liked this class because of all the fun games they got to play. Also, Sanji and Zoro were both in this class with him, and that made it all the better. They were currently in the locker room changing, that is Luffy, Sanji, Zoro, and a few other guys who hadn't finished up yet. Many of the others had all ready finished changing and went out to warm up.<p>

Two guys left the locker room, and Sanji closed his locker, turning to Zoro and Luffy. "I'm going." He said, before leaving the room as well. Zoro closed his locker too, watching Luffy who had everything but his gym shirt on. The boy seemed to be looking around for something.

"You almost ready?" He asked.

Luffy looked up at him. "You can go on without me. I can't seem to find my shirt." He laughed at himself for losing such a thing. "I'll find it real quick and then I'll be out."

Zoro didn't do anything, but give the other a nod, before he too left the locker room. "Where _is _it?.!" Luffy looked everywhere, checking under the bench by his locker, and through his belongings, but it was nowhere.

"Looking for this?" A voice asked from behind, laughter following after. Luffy looked over his shoulder, only to see the last person he wanted to at the moment. It was Bellamy, and Luffy didn't find it surprising that he didn't know this guy had class with him, because he seemed to forget things like that very easily. He never remembered faces of people he didn't talk to very well either.

Bellamy held Luffy's shirt in one of his hands, his signature smirk plastered on his face. "Give me back my shirt." Luffy stated firmly. He didn't want his mood ruined twice in one day, and frankly, Luffy was getting sick of this guy all ready. He was extremely annoying.

Bellamy stepped forward. "And, what if I don't? Gonna call your buddies to come in here and take it back, or will you try it yourself?"

"Neither. I'm _telling _you to give it back, so do it."

"So, you're demanding for it? Well, if you want it that badly, here." Bellamy tossed the shirt to Luffy, except it landed on Luffy's head instead. Luffy pulled the garment from his face. What he wasn't expecting, was the second he pulled the cloth away, a fist would connect with his face hard. He grunted and stumbled backwards. His legs hit the bench behind him and he fell backwards onto it. His nose hurt like hell now. Luffy placed a hand over it, the pain making his eyes water slightly. He felt his fingers become wet upon touching his face, and he pulled his hand back to see that is was blood. Bellamy let out that annoying laugh once more. "You didn't think I'd just hand it back to you and walk away, did you?"

* * *

><p>Zoro sighed from outside in the gym. The class was currently running a few laps as part of the warm up. They were instructed to do five laps around the whole gym, and he was all ready on his last one. Luffy had still not come back out of the locker room. Was the kid having that much trouble trying to find his shirt?<p>

He finished up his last lap and decided to go back and check on Luffy. If the other didn't hurry it up, he'd be in trouble for getting out of the locker room so late. The sight that greeted him upon walking into the locker room was not one he expected, nor wanted to see. Luffy was sitting on a bench, his hand placed over his nose, glaring up at what appeared to be that Bellamy guy who walked around school, famous for bullying quite a few students. Zoro wasn't exactly sure why the school board hadn't done anything about him yet, but that didn't matter at the moment.

The swordsman found himself standing between Luffy and the ugly brute who'd decided to hit Luffy in seconds; at least, that was what it appeared like to Zoro. His back was turned to Luffy, and he stared menacingly at the blond who had ceased his laughter, and was staring right back, that smirk still in place. "Look who it is. Roronoa Zoro. One of your buddies came back-"

"What do you think you're doing?" Zoro's voice was low, but the anger behind his words was unmistakable. "I know Luffy didn't do anything to you, so you better have a damn good explanation for why he's bleeding."

"You wouldn't know that, now would you?"

"_Don't _feed me a bunch of bullshit. Why did you hit him? Tell me now, or I'll kick your ass until you do."

Bellamy's smirk widened, finding amusement in the fact that he could get Zoro this riled up. "Really? Let's just see about that!"

Zoro was just about to punch the guy's face in, when he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder. "Zoro, don't."

"Luffy, let go." Zoro wasn't sure why he was allowing Luffy to hold him back. He could have easily ripped his shoulder away from the boy's hold, and lunged at Bellamy, but something kept him from doing so.

"No. He's not worth fighting. I'll be fine, that punch didn't even hurt that bad. If you're caught fighting him, you'll be in trouble."

Zoro glanced at the other, not once letting his guard down in case Bellamy chose to attack him when he wasn't looking. "I don't care if a teacher sees. I don't like this guy, and he pissed me off."

"I mean it, Zoro-"

"Why did you come running back in here, you shitty- what the hell's going on here?" Sanji was now standing in the entrance of the locker room, taking in the scene before him.

Bellamy licked his lips. "Another one came, did he?"

Sanji stepped forward. "Oi! Tell me what the hell happened!" Sanji's order what directed at Zoro who chose not to say anything, as he turned around to Luffy. "Are you listening to me?.!"

"I'm taking Luffy to the nurse. You can do something about _him _if you want."

"Leaving all ready?" Bellamy laughed, but Zoro said nothing in return as he took Luffy's shirt from him, and led the other out of the locker room, past Sanji.

Once the two were gone, the cook set his sight on Bellamy and glared. "I guess there's a reason that marimo didn't fight back, but apparently it doesn't apply to me." Sanji stepped closer, cracking his knuckles as if he planned to punch Bellamy. The other took his own fighting stance. He didn't have much time to think, let alone defend himself, before a black foot came soaring toward his face.

* * *

><p>Zoro walked out of the gymnasium with Luffy by his side. The most the teacher had done, was ask what had happened, but Zoro simply told him he'd take care of Luffy by taking him to the nurse. Other than that, their teacher said nothing else, trusting Zoro to do as he'd said he would.<p>

"Is it your nose that's bleeding?" Zoro asked. He could see some of the blood slipping past Luffy's fingers.

Luffy looked up at him. "Yeah." He pulled his hand away, noticing the fairly large amount of blood that had accumulated.

"Does it hurt? It's not broken, is it?"

Luffy couldn't tell if it was broken or not, but it throbbed really bad, and hurt just as much. He put his hand back over his nose. "I don't know, but it hurts a lot."

Zoro grit his teeth in anger and frustration. "That bastard."

"It's fine, Zoro!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed. "There's no point in fighting him and getting in trouble because he hit me."

"That's just it though. He hit you for no reason!" Zoro turned angry eyes on Luffy. He wasn't angry at Luffy, he was angry at that Bellamy bastard and the fact that Luffy simply let the guy get away with doing something like that. Luffy decided not to mention the earlier incident to Zoro, for fear that it would make him even angrier.

Neither said anything else, as Zoro led them to the nurse's office. He may have a bad sense of direction, but he'd been in this school for four years and by now, he could get his way around without getting lost. Also, the office wasn't too far from the gym anyway. When they got there, the nurse immediately began inspecting the injury, making sure that his nose wasn't broken first off. "You wouldn't mind filling out that sheet with his name and such, would you?" She asked Zoro, since she was busy with Luffy.

Zoro followed the nurse's finger to the clipboard she pointed at. He picked it up and read over the sheet. It was a simple check in sheet that asked you to list your name, grade, and things like that. Zoro used the pen attached to the clipboard to fill out the things he could. When he finished and put the clipboard back down, the nurse was currently busy with stopping the blood flow, and cleaning the rest of the blood on Luffy's face and hand. Zoro walked up next to Luffy. "Will it be okay?" He asked her.

She briefly gave him a look as she continued to clean Luffy up. "It's not broken, that much I'm sure of. But, I can imagine that it will hurt for a few days. How exactly did this happen?"

"He was punched." Zoro replied simply. It's not like she needed to know all the details.

"If it was by another student, you might want to tell someone else about this."

"Nah, that's okay." Luffy responded, waving a hand as if waving the subject away.

"Are you sure?" Zoro asked. Luffy nodded.

"There's only one class period left." The nurse stated as she walked over to her desk. "So, I think it'll be best if he goes home for the rest of the day." She picked up her phone and looked to Luffy. "What's your name, sweety?"

"Monkey D. Luffy."

The nurse then dialed a number and began speaking into the phone seconds later. Luffy swung his legs absently, looking slightly comical with a small tuff of tissue sticking out of each nostril. So, he was going home now? That kind of sucked. He had been excited to see what they would be making in home ec too. He pouted, but then a thought struck him, and he panicked. He turned to Zoro who had been watching him curiously. "Zoro! My backpack's still in the locker room, and my hat's in there too."

Zoro understood. "I'll be back." He said, before leaving Luffy alone with the nurse who still happened to be talking on the phone. Luffy felt bad now. If he had to leave, that meant Ace would have to leave work early just to come and get him. He hoped Ace wouldn't get in trouble for having to do that.

* * *

><p>Ace was having small conversation with Marco as he worked. Marco was currently on break and had nothing better to do at the moment. "Is this grandfather of yours really that bad?" He asked after Ace told him about the upcoming visit.<p>

"Bad? Worse than bad. That man was once a Marine General, you know, before he retired. Growing up in his house wasn't the best childhood experience."

"So, he was strict."

"You don't even know." Ace's cell phone rang after that. He frowned, pulling the device out of his pocket.

Marco pointed at it. "Aren't you supposed to have that off if you're not on break?"

Ace chuckled nervously. "I can't help it. What if Luffy's in trouble?" Ace didn't know how true that question was until seconds later.

* * *

><p>When Zoro entered the locker room again, he was curious as why no one was there, but shoved it away after. He was glad Luffy had forgotten to put the lock on his locker, because he had no idea what the combination was. He pulled the buy's belongings out and went back to the nurse's office.<p>

The nurse was just hanging up the phone when he walked back in. He handed Luffy his clothes and backpack. "Your brother will be here shortly, Luffy"

Luffy nodded at the nurse, standing up from the bed he had been sitting on, so he could change back into his regular uniform. "I guess this means I can go back to class now." Zoro said, yet he made no move to leave.

The younger smiled as he pulled his shirt on. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Zoro nodded and walked to the door. "Oh, hey! Don't forget about Saturday!" Luffy laughed. Zoro only replied with a wave of his hand as he walked out the door.

Luffy sat back down on the bed and stuck his hat on his head. It made him feel better when he had it on. He thought back to earlier in the locker room when Zoro had stepped between him and Bellamy. He'd never seen the other look so angry before and all because Bellamy had punched him. The idea of Zoro standing up for him sparked a few things inside of him.

One of the things he realized by it was that he wanted to become much stronger. He didn't want to have to rely on Zoro for things like that or anyone for that matter. The memory of the incident only three weeks ago only proved to increase his motivation on that. But, aside from that, he also got this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach thinking back to the expression on Zoro's face, and the anger that had made Zoro want to fight Bellamy. He'd only felt this a few times before when Ace stood up for him at their old school, except this time it was stronger. Maybe it was because Zoro cared enough to stand up for him. Or maybe it wasn't, he didn't know. When it came to feelings, Luffy could only point out your basic ones: happiness, sadness, and anger.

Other feelings always seemed to confuse him when he thought about them, so he always pushed them away. This time was no different.

* * *

><p>Zoro was beginning to get irritated. This whole thing that happened was confusing him greatly. He didn't understand <em>why <em>he had become so angry before, it didn't make sense. Luffy got punched in the face by some bully; so what? '_So what?.! The guy did it for no reason!' _And, there he went again, caring about the fact that Luffy had been hurt. Why did it bother him so much?.! If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have gotten this angry, nor would he have cared this greatly.

Something about Luffy was just different, he knew that much. There was no one else who could make him think _this goddamn much _about something so insignificant. There was also the matter about how much closer he'd become to the boy in the past few weeks, not to mention, that he didn't mind being around Luffy or Luffy's friends. He called them Luffy's friends, because he wasn't yet sure if they were his own friends, and he didn't want to make assumptions-

That didn't matter! What mattered was that Luffy was changing _something _inside of him, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Most of the time, he didn't like change, but this didn't feel bad, so he didn't know if he should really be that upset by it. That was why he was confused. And, he didn't like being confused.

* * *

><p>"I guess it's a good thing that I keep my phone on at work." Ace said, stepping into the nurse's office.<p>

Luffy didn't say anything to his brother. It was his fault that Ace wasn't at work right now, where he was supposed to be. "What's wrong with you?" Ace was standing in front of Luffy now after assuring the nurse of who he was. "Does your nose hurt?" He asked, tapping Luffy lightly on the nose with a finger.

Luffy shook his head. It did still kind of hurt, but it was bearable.

"Then, why the long face?"

Luffy still didn't keep eye contact. "Because I got punched in the nose, Ace had to leave work." He mumbled.

Ace cocked his head to the side. "Is that all?"

Luffy nodded.

The older brother picked up Luffy's bag, and slung it over his shoulder. "Come on, it's not that big a deal."

Luffy finally looked up at his brother. "You aren't going to get in trouble, are you?"

Ace smiled reassuringly. "Nah, I said it was an emergency and took the rest of the day off. So, let's go home."

Luffy looked at the other warily. "You aren't lying to me, are you?" He asked skeptically. It would be just like Ace to make up something so Luffy wouldn't worry.

"I'm not lying to you! Hey, I know. Would it make you feel better if we stopped for ice cream on the way home?" Luffy's mood changed instantly at the mention of ice cream, and he smiled brightly, nodding energetically. "I thought so. Let's go." And with that, Ace led Luffy out of the office, making sure to check him out of the school.

With the promise of ice cream on his mind, Luffy pretty much forgot about everything else he'd been thinking about while he waited on Ace to show up. Ace was just glad to see that his brother was in a much better mood. He could spare a little extra money to buy the kid some ice cream. He kind of deserved it anyway.


	7. VII: The Dojo

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: This chapter is slightly longer. I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>There was a loud crash from inside the bathroom, making Ace sigh. He hoped whatever it was Luffy happened to have dropped in there didn't break, or Luffy would be in for it again. Because the whole reason Luffy woke up later than he was supposed to was Luffy's fault. He'd told Luffy to set an alarm – even though he should have known that such a device wouldn't budge Luffy – because he had some errands to run and wouldn't be home to wake the younger up.<p>

It turned out that somehow, miraculously, the alarm DID in fact wake Luffy up at the time he was supposed to be awake today, but the boy went and shut it off, falling right back asleep after. Ace supposed he'd forgotten what exactly today meant. So, the reason that Luffy was currently rushing and most probably now had the record for the fastest shower ever, was Luffy's own damn fault. And, Ace just did not have the energy to help out his little brother today. It was his day off and he wanted to relax, not chase Luffy around the entire apartment to make sure he got ready on time.

At this rate, Ace was sure that Luffy wouldn't have time to eat before he was supposed to leave. Again, that was Luffy's own fault.

Seconds later, Luffy came barging out of the bathroom, his toothbrush stuck in his mouth, his hair dripping wet, and trying to button his vest. When his hand reached the last button on his vest, yet there was no hole to put the button through on the other side of his vest, Luffy whined and looked down. He hadn't even been paying attention when he was buttoning the thing, and he messed up somewhere along the way. Ace laughed at him and Luffy shot him a glare. Today was supposed to be fun, but right now, Luffy was beginning to have second thoughts about that. If it started off to a bad start, there was the chance that the rest of the day would continue on that path, and he surely did not want that!

He grudgingly unbuttoned his vest and started all over again. "You might want to dry your hair." Ace commented offhandedly, as he went back to watching whatever it was he had been on tv.

"Don't have time." Luffy mumbled around the toothbrush, hurriedly fixing his vest, satisfied that this time he hadn't put any buttons in the wrong holes.

"What time did Zoro say he'd be here again?"

Ace asked this as Luffy turned back around and ran into the bathroom to resume brushing his teeth in the fastest way possible. "Twelve!" Was the shout he received in return.

Luffy spit out the toothpaste as Ace checked his watch. "That leaves you with exactly eight minutes if he gets here on time. Better hope he doesn't come earlier."

"Crap!" Luffy looked around the bathroom hurriedly. "Crap, crap, crap! Where are the towels?.!"

"Check under the sink!"

Luffy ripped the door open on the cabinet under the sink so fast that it almost bent backwards against the other side of the sink. He grabbed the first one he saw and immediately began towel drying his hair. The younger ran back out of the bathroom, towel still on his head and all, rushing to the kitchen, where he almost slid across the floor and fell because his feet were still wet from his shower. He caught himself on the counter and looked for something quick he could pop into his mouth. Just as he shoved some kind of food in this mouth – he hadn't checked what it was, but it tasted good, so it didn't matter – there was a knock at the door.

"So, he did come early." Ace announced from the couch.

"But, I'm not ready!" Luffy exclaimed around the food sticking out of his mouth. He ran down the hallway to the door, and flung it open, revealing none other than his green-haired friend on the other side. "Hey!" Luffy realized he still had food in his mouth, and pulled whatever it was out, so he wouldn't be talking around it. "Uh, I'm not ready, so you can come in real quick if you want!"

Zoro stared at Luffy for a few seconds. "Sure." He replied, stepping into the apartment. It had turned out that Zoro really didn't have work Saturday and he could take Luffy to the dojo. Luffy had given him his address, so he could pick the other up, since he was able to do so now that he had his car back.

"I won't be long!" Luffy then proceeded to rush back the way he came, running into the livingroom, and throwing the towel off his head in a random direction. That direction happened to be the couch where Ace was sitting. Ace pulled the damp towel off his face – where it had landed – and scowled. "Luffy-"

Luffy had already disappeared into his room by that time and was currently trying to comb his hair, finish eating, and slip his sandals on at the same time. He swallowed the last of his food, and grabbed his hat, putting it on his head. Luffy ran back into the livingroom. "I'm done!" Without thinking, he grabbed Zoro's hand and started pulling the other out of the apartment. "Let's go! Bye, Ace!" The door slammed shut behind them and Ace discarded Luffy's towel. Every day was interesting when you lived with Luffy.

* * *

><p>Needless to say, Zoro hadn't expected Luffy to suddenly drag him out of the apartment like that, but he guessed it didn't matter all that much. Luffy let go of the other's hand and grinned sheepishly as they walked out of the apartment. "Sorry, I woke up late." He explained.<p>

"That much is obvious." Zoro remarked, leading Luffy to his car. His car was black, and wasn't all that big, but had plenty of room for what he used it for. It was a decent car, not too great, not too bad. And, it was all he could afford at the time. He unlocked the doors, and Luffy jumped into the passenger's side. The only reason he'd bothered to lock his car was because his swords were in the trunk of it and one couldn't be too careful, especially since his swords were valuable. Valuable in both the sense that they were his most prized possessions, and also because they were worth quite a bit of money. The last thing he needed was having them stolen.

"So, this is Zoro's car!" Luffy exclaimed, a big smile on his face. "I like it!"

"It's not that great." Zoro replied, pulling out of the parking lot. "It's enough to get me around where I need to go, most of the time."

"It must be awesome to be able to drive and have your own car. I can't wait until I can drive! I got one more year and then Ace said he'd start to teach me."

Zoro glanced at the clearly excited boy. The thought of Luffy behind the wheel of car was slightly scary. Either Ace was just stupid or he had enough confidence in himself to believe he could teach Luffy something such as driving. "It's okay. I mean, aside from gas prices and when your car breaks down on you, it's nice."

"That happened to me and Ace once! I think it was last summer. We were coming home from this carnival Ace took me to and the car started smoking. We were stranded for a few hours until Ace managed to fix it."

"You're brother can work on cars too?" Zoro asked curiously.

Luffy nodded. "He knows a lot about them, so he can usually fix ours if something happens to it. I don't know anything about cars though."

"You're not the only one."

The younger looked over at Zoro. "You can't fix them either?"

"Nope. Wouldn't even try to."

"That's okay, because cars aren't that awesome when it comes to that stuff." It was silent for a couple seconds before Luffy spoke up again. "Am I going to get to meet that girl you talked to me about?"

It took Zoro a minute to figure out who Luffy was referring to, and then he remembered when he mentioned that he knew a girl whose family owned the dojo they were currently on their way to. "I don't know. Why do you want to meet her?"

Luffy shrugged. "I like meeting new people, I guess. I'm so excited though! I bet your swords are really awesome, huh? How long have you used them?"

Zoro thought back. It had been quite a few years since he first started practicing the sword. "It's probably been about twelve years."

Luffy's jaw dropped. "Twelve years?.! That means you're really good at using them, right?"

The other smirked. "You'll just have to see for yourself."

* * *

><p>Zoro pulled up to a gate and Luffy watched as he rolled his window down and pressed a button on the wall next to the gate. He spoke into it seconds later and afterwards, the gate in front of them slowly opened up, allowing Zoro to pull the car inside the estate.<p>

There were two buildings inside from what Luffy could see. One was a lot bigger than the other and appeared to be a traditional Japanese home. There was even a small pond inside and lots of plants. The pond was near the smaller building which was located on the left side of the house. It was quite a ways away from the house still. Zoro stopped the car and Luffy looked from the window over to Zoro. "Are we at someone's house?" He asked, because that was what it looked like to him.

Zoro nodded, turning off the car and removing his keys from the ignition. "They know I'm here, so we can just go to the dojo."

Luffy didn't question it, trusting what Zoro said as he got out of the car. Zoro went around to the trunk and Luffy followed behind. The older opened the trunk, retrieving his three swords, and shutting it after. "The dojo's this way." Zoro stated, beginning to walk in the direction of it. Luffy followed, looking at everything around him. They didn't get too far, before someone suddenly came from inside of the house. It appeared to be a woman and she was running toward them both, carrying a sword of her own in one hand.

"Mr. Roronoa!" Zoro stopped at the voice, reluctantly turning around to the woman who was running to them. Damn. He was hoping she wouldn't notice that he was here. Luffy blinked at the girl, confused as to who she was. When she got closer, he could see that she had short, dark blue hair, and was wearing a pair of red glasses. She stopped before them and her attention was immediately drawn from Zoro to Luffy. "Oh? Who's this?" She asked, looking back at Zoro.

Luffy gave her a large smile. "I'm Luffy! I'm Zoro's friend. What's your name?"

The girl returned his smile with a small one of her own. "My name's Tashigi. Mr. Roronoa didn't mention that he was bringing someone else along."

"Come on, Luffy." Zoro began walking away again. Luffy did as he was told, and Tashigi walked beside him, following Zoro as well.

"Do you live here?" He asked her.

Tashigi nodded. "My family owns all of this."

Luffy suddenly remembered the girl Zoro mentioned before. Was this her? "How do you know Zoro?" Luffy asked.

"Mr. Roronoa's been coming to our dojo for years. And, I'm his rival! He's beaten me in every single match thus far, but hopefully today will be different!" Once they were inside of the dojo, Tashigi jumped in front of Zoro with her sword unsheathed. She held it with both hands as she pointed it at him. "I'm challenging you to a fight, Mr. Roronoa!"

Zoro sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Geez. Luffy, move back." He instructed, unsheathing his own swords. As annoying as she was, and the fact that he had lost count of how many sword fights they'd had, he couldn't back down from a challenge. Luffy moved away from the two, excitement boiling inside. Was he going to get to see an actual sword fight?

Tashigi set Zoro with a determined look. "I've been training every single day for the past few months. I'm a lot better than I was the last time we fought."

Zoro unsheathed Wadou Ichimonji and placed the hilt in his mouth. "I won't hold back against you." He spoke around the sword.

"I don't expect you to." Tashigi was the first to move. In seconds, they were blade to blade, Zoro's three against Tashigi's one. Zoro didn't go easy on anyone, even if they were female. Kuina had been the one to enforce that into him when she was alive. It didn't matter if you were male or female. If you carried the title of a swordsman, then you would be treated as such, which meant no holding back in Zoro's book.

They separated for a brief second before their blades clashed once more. Zoro watched each of Tashigi's moves intently, blocking every one of them. A light sweat broke out on Tashigi's forehead as she used all of her strength to hold against Zoro's blades. Her hand shook when Zoro applied more pressure to her blade. Zoro continued to block her moves for a couple more minutes. She jumped back once more, her breathing coming out a bit uneven. Zoro remained unfazed, looking the exact same as when they'd started.

"Considering forfeiting?" He asked when Tashigi showed no signs of attacking him once more.

"Like I would!" She sprang forward again, but this time when their blades connected, Zoro was able to counter her attack by knocking her sword from her hands, and sending her falling to the ground. Her sword embedded itself in a wooden floorboard next to her. Tashigi's glasses flew from her face and traveled quite a distance, landing near Luffy's feet.

Zoro casually removed Wadou from his mouth and sheathed his swords. Luffy stood, his mouth gaping open at the fight he just witnessed. He glanced down at the glasses and picked them up, walking back over to the two. "That was amazing, Zoro!"

"Darn. I lost again!" Tashigi hit the ground in frustration.

Luffy bent down to her level. "You were awesome too, you know."

Tashigi look up at him, but because she no longer had her glasses, Luffy's face was only a blur. Luffy handed her the glasses. She took them from him and put them back on. "Thanks." Luffy extended a hand and Tashigi accepted it, allowing him to help her off the ground. She pulled her sword from the floor and sighed. "This just means that I have to train harder! Just wait, Mr. Roronoa. I will beat you one day. Until then, I need to practice more." Tashigi sheathed her sword. "It was nice meeting you, Luffy."

"You're not sticking around?"

"No, I have other things to do back at the house. I hope to see you again someday though!" She smiled and waved, leaving Zoro and Luffy in the dojo.

Luffy turned to Zoro. "That was really cool! It looked like you had no trouble at all."

Zoro stared at the open doors of the dojo. "I have to admit. She was right about becoming stronger over the past few months, but she still has a long way to go before she's on par with my level."

Luffy looked at the sheathed swords, the white one catching his attention since that was the one Zoro had held in his mouth. "Aren't swords supposed to be heavy? Isn't it hard to hold it in your mouth like that?"

Zoro held Wadou up. "I trained to become stronger so they wouldn't be hard to hold. So, they aren't heavy to me."

"Can I hold one?" Luffy wasn't sure if it was a good idea to ask that, but he really did want to hold one, and it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Zoro was a bit skeptical of letting the other hold one of his swords. They were extremely valuable and, not to mention, very sharp. But, he didn't want to disappoint the kid by telling him no, and it wouldn't hurt to let Luffy hold one for a bit. He pulled out Sandai Kitetsu, making sure Luffy grabbed it by the hilt and not the blade. "Be careful with it. It's sharp enough to cut off a limb."

The other's eyes widened a slight fraction at that tidbit of information. Yeah, he'd be careful all right, 'cause he sure didn't want to lose a finger, or worse, an arm. The sword was actually a lot heavier than Luffy expected it to be, but that was to be expected, he guessed, since they were made of steel and all. He'd never held a sword before, so he wasn't entirely sure how to hold it properly. He held the blade in front of his face, turning it around. Zoro must clean his swords a lot, because he could almost see himself in the blade. "How are you supposed to hold it?"

Zoro unsheathed Wadou and demonstrated the correct way to hold it with both hands. "Keep one hand in front of the other on the hilt when you hold it with both hands, and hold your arms straight out in front of you." Luffy watched Zoro and tried to copy his stance. "Bring your arms down a bit." Luffy did so. "And, move your hands up the hilt further, you don't want to hold on to the end of the hilt like that." Luffy looked down at his hands, noticing that his left hand was gripping onto the end of the hilt.

"Like this?" He moved his hands up like Zoro had instructed.

The other nodded. "Hold the blade at an angle. In this stance, you don't want to point it straight ahead, unless you plan on stabbing someone directly, that is. And, even then, you wouldn't hold it this way if you wanted to do that."

"Okay. So, is this right?" Luffy moved the blade at an angle, close to the way Zoro was holding his own.

"Spread your feet apart a bit more and you'll be in the right stance."

Luffy moved his feet apart, glancing down at Zoro's to get a better understanding of how far apart he should actually have them. "This is so cool. It's heavier than I thought it would be, but that's fine. Hey, Zoro." Luffy looked at the swordsman who had backed out of his stance. "Can you teach me how to swing it? Or is that too dangerous?"

Zoro considered it. The basics of swinging a sword weren't as dangerous as other techniques, and as long as Luffy held it right, there should be no problem. But, just to be safe, instead of demonstrating like before, he thought it would be better to guide Luffy through it. "I'll show you the basic way to swing it in that position. Here." He stood next to Luffy, because standing in front of him would not be a good idea, and pushed the sword upwards, with Luffy still holding onto it. "You start by standing the way you were before, and then you lift the blade carefully above your head."

He moved behind Luffy, being careful to avoid the blade. Luffy wasn't that much shorter than him, so it would be easy to guide him from behind. Luffy was currently holding the sword over both of their heads. Zoro reached around Luffy, placing his hands over Luffy's on the hilt of the sword. "Once you have it over your head, you have to keep it straight. If you don't, you won't get the full effect that you're looking for, and the technique will come out wrong."

He made sure the sword was being held perfectly straight over their heads. "Then, you bring it down, but you have to keep the blade and your arms straight the whole way, and know where to stop it, so you don't hurt yourself." He then proceeded to bring the sword down slowly in front of Luffy, stopping it's decent at around the place Luffy started. "You have to stop it around here. And, you'll notice that it's about the area where you started, except that the blade isn't pointing at the same angle."

"I get it. I want to try it by myself this time. Is that okay?" Luffy looked back at Zoro. Zoro nodded and let go of Luffy's hands, stepping back to watch. Luffy tried to remember what Zoro said about holding it right. He started out by holding just like Zoro had taught him, checking his feet as well. Then, he brought the blade up again, trying to hold it as straight as he possibly could before bringing it back down, and stopping it at where he estimated was where he started. He looked over at Zoro. "Was that right?"

Despite the fact that Luffy looked pretty comical holding a sword, the kid had managed to remember everything that he'd said, and performed the basic technique correctly. "That was right." Luffy grinned and stepped out of his stance, handing the sword back to its owner. Zoro took the sword and sheathed it. "Do you want to see some harder techniques?" The whole reason he brought Luffy here was to show him how he used his swords. The kid was probably dying to see more.

"Yeah! That'd be great!"

"Follow me then." Zoro began walking outside of the dojo with Luffy on his heels. "If I'm going to show you some stuff, it'd be better to use the techniques on something other than air." Zoro led them into a wooded area filled with lots of trees. He looked around the area before pointing to a spot a few feet away. "Go stand over there. Wouldn't want a tree to hit you." Zoro grinned at his last statement.

Luffy laughed, "I guess not." And walked over to where Zoro pointed.

Zoro unsheathed all three of his swords, placing Wadou in his mouth once again. He stared at the trees around him, calculating the best possible way of going about cutting through them. He didn't want them to fall in the direction of him or Luffy. After he figured out in which way to cut them, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Then, he used one of his better perfected techniques to slice through the trees around him.

Luffy jumped when one of the trees came crashing down beside him. It was a pretty good sized tree and would have squished him flat if it had fallen on him. So, Zoro wasn't kidding when he said those swords could cut through limbs. He was fairly certain that if they cut through all of those trees that easily, that cutting an arm or leg off would be cake.

Aside from almost being squashed by a tree, Luffy had to admit that that was a really awesome technique. Zoro looked in Luffy's direction, noticing the tree that had fallen. "Sorry, I tried to prevent that from happening."

"Don't worry about it! Show me something else!"

Zoro grinned around Wadou. That he could do.

* * *

><p>It was about two hours later that Zoro had run out of techniques to introduce Luffy to. Luffy was currently in the passenger's side of the car, waiting for Zoro put his swords in the trunk and get in. "That was fun!" Luffy exclaimed when Zoro was back in the car.<p>

Zoro started the car. "You think so?" He asked, backing out of the residence. "I haven't showed anyone every single one of my techniques before. It's kind of tiring." Luffy was about to reply, when his stomach suddenly growled instead. He put an arm around his stomach and chuckled a bit nervously. Zoro laughed at Luffy's clear embarrassment. "You hungry?"

"I didn't get to each much before we left, but I can manage until I get back home." He hadn't realized he was even hungry before now. It must have been because of all the excitement from watching Zoro use his swords.

"I'll stop somewhere. I'm getting hungry myself." Luffy didn't object to the offer. He _was _hungry and Zoro said he was too, so he didn't mind all that much if Zoro wanted to get something to eat. "Pizza sound good?" He asked once they were back in town.

"Pizza's fine!" Luffy didn't mind what they ate; he pretty much ate anything that was put in front of him.

Zoro took them to this small pizza place. Once they were inside and at a table, a waitress came over to take their order. She left with their order, and now all they had to do was wait. "I wonder what Ace's doing right now." Luffy thought aloud. He suddenly grinned. "I bet he fell asleep on the couch or something. He's been kind of worried lately, but I don't blame him."

Zoro lifted an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Gramps is coming over soon."

"Your grandpa? What's so bad about him visiting?"

"He's really tough on us! Ace doesn't like him all that much, 'cause he's got this thing called his "Fist of Love," and I've never seen the love in it, only lots and lots of pain. I think that's why Ace doesn't like him and because he's always trying to tell us how to live our lives."

Fist of Love? What the hell? Zoro didn't question it. "I'm guessing that's part of the reason you and your brother moved here?"

"Yep. Gramps can be cool sometimes, but we just didn't want to live with him anymore, and Ace finally had enough money to move out, so he did, and I came with him." Luffy grinned. "I'm glad we did move too, because I love here. It's just me and Ace now, and I have all these friends too."

This kid was so optimistic. Zoro found it may take a little getting used to. Then, he thought back those weeks ago when he'd found this very same boy all beaten up in that alley. That surely was not a pleasant experience for Luffy. He wasn't sure if he should bring it up or not, but he did anyway. "Even though that still happened the first day you were here?"

Luffy was confused by Zoro's question for a brief second before it hit him. "Oh, that? It wasn't the best thing that could have happened, but it doesn't exactly make me regret moving here. It's in the past anyway! From now on, I plan to make good memories here, and if bad things happen along the way, well, that's just life! Can't have the good without the bad, right?"

Luffy had a point. Zoro found that they were opposites in that Luffy preferred to look at the bright side of things, while he tended to be more of a pessimist. But, he was right. Why bring yourself down with past memories, when you could keep moving forward making better ones? "Life's good at punching you in the face sometimes. I know that much."

The waitress returned with their food and drinks. Zoro was glad that he'd taken a few pieces instead of one for himself considering by the time he finished his own, Luffy had devoured what was left. He had quite the appetite; that much was obvious.

After they ate, Zoro took Luffy back to Ace's and Luffy's apartment. He'd planned to leave right after, but Luffy seemed to have other ideas in mind. "You wanna come inside for a bit? I'm sure Ace wouldn't mind!"

He didn't have anything else planned for the rest of the day, so if he refused, he'd just be going home to an empty apartment with nothing to do. Accepting Luffy's offer sounded a lot better than that. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Of course not!" They both got out the car, Zoro making sure he locked his doors as well. His swords were still in the trunk after all, and he didn't want to carry them inside either. He allowed Luffy to lead the way, following behind at his own leisurely pace.

Luffy opened the door to the apartment, becoming curious when he heard not only Ace's voice from the hallway, but another one as well. He and Zoro slipped into the apartment, making their way to the livingroom where the voices were coming from.

"I just KNEW that was the only reason you decided to come here!" Luffy stopped in the hallway when he could see exactly who the other person was. Ace was standing up, his back to Luffy, and none other than his own grandfather was sitting on their couch. Zoro stopped behind him, peering over his head curiously. Both Ace and Garp looked really angry, Ace more so than his grandfather. "I TOLD you that I'm not letting you take Luffy and ship him off to some military school! Why can't you understand that?.!"

Military school? What? Luffy knew nothing about this, but apparently Ace did? What exactly was Ace talking about? "Ace, it's clear that you have no idea what's best for the boy-"

"I don't know what's best?.! I may not know what's best for Luffy, but I'm not stupid enough to believe that he'd want to go to some damn military school! I'm not letting you take him if that's not what he wants, and it's _not what he wants._"

"Would you just listen to me for once?.! You're not in a position to tell me that I don't know what's best for my own grandson!"

"No, I'm not listening to you anymore. I'm pretty _sick _of listening to you actually! So, why don't you just leave now before Luffy gets back home?"

That was the _only _reason Gramps wanted to visit? Because he wanted to talk Ace into letting him take him away from here? That made Luffy angry, and kind of upset. He pushed his hat down over his face, a habit he picked up whenever he had it on and was upset. He felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder, Zoro's own way of telling him to calm down a bit. The hand moved from his shoulder and rested on his back, nudging him forward into the livingroom. Luffy looked over his shoulder at Zoro who had decided to stay out of it and lean against the wall to watch.

Garp was the first to notice Luffy standing there, and his eyes connected with Luffy's own. Luffy's eyes were darker than usual and his normal cheerful exterior was gone now, a glare settling on his features instead. Whether it was directed at his grandfather or it was there simply because he was angry, he wasn't sure. Ace noticed that he no longer had Garp's attention and he looked back as well, surprised to see Luffy standing there. "Luffy? When did you get ho-"

"What's going on?" It wasn't like Luffy to suddenly interrupt Ace like that, but he was angry and he wanted answers. "Well? Tell me! This is about me, isn't it? I deserve to know why you're trying to take me away from here!" Luffy's eyes moved to Garp when he said that. What exactly had Ace and Gramps been hiding from him all this time? "Ace, tell me!"


	8. VIII: Garp's Visit And A Fever

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: I really liked this chapter. I thought it'd be tough to write, but once I got into it, I couldn't stop!

* * *

><p>"Luffy… how much of that did you hear?" Ace asked. He hadn't exactly planned on Luffy showing up in the middle of this, but he hadn't planned on Garp showing up today either. It would be just his luck for something like this to happen; he <em>knew <em>this little visit Garp had suddenly planned wouldn't turn out good, he'd just hoped that he and Shanks had been wrong about their assumptions. That hope was lost now, and Luffy had just found out about something that Ace had tried to prevent him from knowing of, because he was certain Luffy would get upset about it, and he wasn't wrong.

Luffy was upset. Upset enough that he was becoming angry. And, he was getting frustrated because he didn't know who or what exactly his anger was supposed to be pointed at. He just knew he was angry. Not to mention, Zoro was standing only a few feet away having to witness this, and that was definitely rude to him, though he didn't seem to care all that much.

He guessed he was angry at everything. He was angry at Ace because he wasn't giving him any answers like he wanted, he was angry with Garp because this was his big idea in the first place, and he was angry because he was hurt by the fact that Ace appeared to have known about this for quite some time and never decided to tell him. And, he surely had the right to know about something like this!

"It doesn't matter if he heard or not, because the boy's coming with me." Garp suddenly stood up from the couch.

Ace turned on the older man. "He's not going anywhere, especially not with you! Why don't you just stay out of this? You're only making things worse!"

Now, he was being ignored, which caused him to snap. "Stop!" Ace and Garp turned their attentions back to Luffy. Zoro was expecting something like this to happen. He watched interested in what Luffy had to say. "Quit arguing! I'm the one being ignored when I deserve to know what's going on!"

Garp took a step forward, his face darkening, as he set Luffy with an intense, angry look. Luffy's expression didn't change and he stared right back, as if showing Garp that he wasn't the least bit afraid of him. "Luffy, living here with Ace isn't the best thing for you. I've had the whole past month to think about it and come to that conclusion. It would be best if you got your things and came with me."

"No! I moved here with Ace because _I _wanted to! I don't want to go back with you, especially if what Ace said is true!" Luffy's fists clenched. "You're the only one who's saying this isn't the best thing for me! I'm old enough to live my life the way I want to!"

"You may be seventeen, but you've yet to become an adult! You're still young and at your age you never know what's good for you!"

"You're only doing this because I'm not the grandson that you wanted me to be! Because I didn't accept your beliefs! You've always forced things on me growing up, and that's why when Ace said he was moving out, I went with him! I couldn't stand to be in that house any longer and especially without Ace there with me!"

While Garp and Luffy continued arguing with each other, Ace gripped his hair in both hands, clenching his teeth in frustration. This whole thing was beginning to stress him out, and he could just _feel _the headache coming on. He peered across the room at Zoro who seemed to be watching the argument, or, well, when he looked more closely, watching _Luffy _argue; he didn't look too interested in Garp. That was strange.

"Luffy, you're coming with me, whether you want to or not! Ace is no longer taking care of you! If it weren't for him, I would have already enrolled you into the school I had planned for you to go to all along!"

"I'm not going! I want to live here with Ace, and Ace wants me here too! Right, Ace?.!" Luffy looked around his grandfather to his older brother.

Ace sighed. The pain in his head increased, making his eyes begin to burn slightly. He locked eyes with Luffy, whose expression changed relatively to a look of worry upon seeing Ace's own expression. Because they were so close, it was very easy for them to tell when something was wrong with the other, and Ace looked a bit more stressed out then he had been minutes before. There was a slight narrowing and twitch of Ace's eyes, giving off the feeling that Ace was trying to fight off some kind of pain. "It would be best if you just leave. _Without Luffy._" He'd managed to say that much, but talking seemed to have caused even more pain.

Garp suddenly grabbed hold of Luffy's wrist in a tight grip. Luffy instinctively turned his attention back to his grandfather and grabbed Garp's wrist, trying to pull the man's hand off of him. "Let go!"

"No, you're coming with me. Forget about your things, you won't need them!" Garp raised his other fist in a manner that much resembled the way he used to before he'd hit one of them, because they'd done something wrong or what he deemed as his "Fist of Love." This looked more like a means of shutting Luffy up.

Forgetting about his headache, Ace launched forward, grabbing onto Garp's raised arm. "Don't you even _think _about hitting him, especially when I'm around!" Zoro had noticed that action as well, and for some reason, his body hadn't moved from his spot, yet it still stayed alert in case something did happen. If Ace could take care of it, there was no reason for him to step in, but if he couldn't and Luffy was in danger of being harmed, then he was damn well _going to step in_, regardless of the fact that this wasn't his business, because once someone decided to hurt Luffy in any way, it _became _his business. He didn't care if it was a relative of Luffy's or not. Luffy would not be harmed on his watch. And, even though it still confused him, he decided not to think about it at the moment, choosing instead to watch this unfold, keeping a close eye on Garp.

Garp swung his arm back against Ace, effectively shoving the other off of him, and sending him falling onto the couch. "Ace!" It could have been much worse, but hitting his head against the arm of the couch as he fell did not help his headache in any way; it only served to make it hurt worse. "Ace? Are you okay?" All anger had vanished from Luffy's face, his expression holding only worry for his brother.

"We're going." Garp pulled on Luffy's arm, intending to forcefully drag the teen out of the apartment.

Luffy tried to keep his feet placed firmly on the ground, but this grandfather's strength was overwhelming, and he could not do so. He tried prying the fingers around his wrist off, but they were gripping onto his wrist very tightly, and it hurt. "I told you to let go! I'm not leaving! ACE!"

Zoro figured this would be his cue to step in. Ace clearly was not able to handle the situation, and he was sure that if he hadn't stuck around like Luffy had asked of him, Luffy would have been out of the door by now, against his will. He stepped in front of Garp, blocking his way to the door. "I'm pretty sure Luffy told you he wasn't going anywhere."

Garp's eyes narrowed. "And, who the hell do you think you are? Luffy's coming with me."

"I'm Luffy's friend, and I say he's staying." Zoro glanced at Luffy and reached his arm out, grabbing Luffy's other arm. "He doesn't want to go."

Garp's patience was running thin and Zoro was only making him angrier. His hand unintentionally clenched tighter around Luffy's wrist, and Luffy let out a small yelp. The man's hold was so tight; it felt like his wrist would break if he applied anymore pressure. The pain Luffy was currently feeling did not go unnoticed by Zoro. Garp tugged on Luffy's arm again, causing the boy to let out another small cry of pain. "Stay out of my way, kid."

"Let go. You're hurting him."

Garp made a sound that resembled a growl. He didn't plan on leaving without Luffy and this guy wasn't going to stop him either. He wasn't afraid to hit a kid, so he pulled back his free arm and sent it flying forward toward Zoro's face in a punch. Luffy's eyes widened. "Zoro!" The older teen had very good reflexes and was used to dodging, so he was ready for a punch like this. His own free hand came up and grabbed Garp's fist before the man could land a hit on him.

"If you're trying to make me move, you better try damn harder than that." Zoro stated, pushing Garp's arm back.

"Ah! Ow!" Luffy winced when the grip on his wrist only tightened even more. His fingers felt like they were slowly turning numb, and that only meant that his circulation was being cut off from the sheer amount of pressure Garp was using to hold his wrist. He once again tried to pry the hand off, but it was still of no use. Zoro was also still holding onto his other arm, and if he weren't in pain at the moment, he would have felt like they were playing a game of tug and war with him as the rope, except Zoro didn't need to hold on to his arm extremely tight to prove he was strong enough to take Luffy from Garp.

"Old man, let him go. And, leave Zoro alone." Ace spoke up, pushing himself off of the couch. Once he'd laid there for a bit, the pain in his head dulled a little.

Luffy looked back at the other. "Ace, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Luffy." He turned his attention to the man beside Luffy. "Garp, _leave_. _Now. _This is my apartment, where _Luffy _and I live. I have every right to call the police if I have to just to make you leave. I'll also press charges against you for forcefully trying to remove a minor from their home when _I'm _the one who has custody of him until he's old enough to move out. So, go, before I decide to go with that plan." Ace wasn't one to normally do things like this, but if it came down to it, he had no problem doing it. If Garp left now, he wouldn't even bother, but if he continued like this, Ace would have no other choice. Garp didn't say anything or let go, so Ace pulled his phone from his pocket. "You can choose not to leave or believe me-"

Ace cut his sentence short when Garp suddenly released Luffy's wrist and turned his back. Luffy lifted his arm and rubbed at his badly bruised wrist. Zoro used his hand, that was still around Luffy's other arm, to absently tug the other away from Garp and closer to himself. Garp didn't say anything as he wordlessly left the apartment.

Ace tucked his phone away and sighed again, sitting back on the couch. Zoro grabbed Luffy's other arm, being careful not to touch his wrist, and inspected the bruises around it. Luffy moved his fingers experimentally, glad to have the feeling slowly come back in them. "These bruises don't look so good." Zoro commented, lightly prodding one of them with a finger. Luffy winced and he pulled back. "Sorry."

Luffy smiled. "It's okay. It'll be better in no time." His attention went from Zoro to Ace, who was sitting against the couch with his eyes closed. Luffy blinked and walked over, breaking Zoro's small hold on him, to stand in front of his brother. "Ace? Are you sure you're okay?"

Ace didn't bother opening his eyes as he responded. "M'fine. Just a headache is all." Luffy looked skeptical as he noticed Ace's cheeks were tinted a very slight pink. Just a headache? Luffy placed a hand over Ace's forehead and immediately pulled it back after.

"Ace, your forehead is really hot. Zoro?" Luffy looked to his friend worriedly.

Zoro came to stand beside him, placing the back of his hand lightly against Ace's forehead. "He has a fever."

"He's sick?.! Ace, you big dummy! This happened because you've been worried about Gramps showing up this whole time!"

Ace opened his eyes to look at Luffy. "It's fine, I'm not sick." To try and prove his point, he stood up from the couch, but he felt lightheaded the second he did so, and his body swayed dangerously. His legs buckled and Luffy managed to catch Ace before he fell. Ace had his head resting on Luffy's shoulder, and he chuckled. "Kay, so maybe I'm a little bit sick." He mumbled.

Luffy looked to Zoro. "I hate to ask, but could you help me take Ace to his room?"

Zoro nodded, and they each grabbed one of Ace's arms, pulling them around their necks, and supporting him as they walked to Ace's room. When they were inside of Ace's bedroom, Luffy held onto his brother while Zoro pulled back the covers, so Luffy could help the other into bed. Luffy pulled the blankets over Ace's body. "Ace?" The other had been unresponsive for a bit, and Luffy realized it was because he fell asleep.

Luffy had never taken care of a sick person before, so he tried to think back to when he had a fever and what Ace had done then. He turned to Zoro. "Would you mind helping me?"

"I don't mind. I was going to be here for a while anyway."

Luffy grinned. "Okay! So, first we need to take his temperature, right? I bet we have a thermometer in the bathroom somewhere. I remember when I had a fever once, Ace put a warm towel on my forehead, so we should probably do that too." Luffy grabbed Zoro's shirt and began pulling him toward the door. "Let's get started! We gotta get Ace better as soon as possible!" Zoro grumbled something under his breath, but didn't stop Luffy from dragging him out of the room. He honestly had not expected that he would end up taking care of a sick person today, but that was okay, he guessed.

The younger pulled him into the bathroom, beginning his search for a thermometer. Since Luffy was busy with that, Zoro figured he could get a warm cloth ready. He searched around until he found a small hand towel, then adjusted the water temperature to a warm setting, before wetting the cloth and ringing the excess water out.

"Ah-hah!" Luffy closed the medicine cabinet, holding up the thermometer he found inside. "I found it!"

They both went back to Ace's room, and Luffy worked on getting the thermometer in Ace's mouth, while Zoro placed the warm cloth over the other's forehead. Luffy sat back and impatiently waited for the thermometer to take Ace's temperature. When the little beep sounded indicating that it had taken it, Luffy removed it to stare at the small screen. _100.4 _Was that really bad? He showed it to Zoro. "Is that bad?"

Zoro took the thermometer from Luffy. "It's not good, but it could be worse. He'll probably be okay if he gets a lot of rest." He handed it back to the boy. Luffy stared at the screen again, before turning it off, and sitting it on the stand next to Ace's bed.

"So, what do we do now?"

"All we can do is keep replacing that towel when it gets cold and wait for him to wake up."

Luffy sighed, staring at Ace's sleeping form. And, then an idea struck him. "I know! Sanji taught me how to make different kinds of soups. I can make him some soup for when he wakes up! That helps a fever, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it does."

"Then, let's do that! Even if he's not awake when we finish it, I can always reheat it later when he wakes up."

Zoro followed Luffy into the kitchen, where the boy proceeded to search through the cabinets for things he could use to make soup with. Zoro watched as Luffy pulled out a pot and different kinds of vegetables, laying them out on the counter. Luffy grinned and handed him the pot. He took the pot from the other, understanding what it was Luffy wanted him to do. He filled it with water from the sink and took it back to the stove, placing it on one of the burners and turning the burner on, so the water could boil.

Luffy began chopping some of the vegetables he had laid out, and Zoro joined him once he found a knife he could use. "I hope Ace gets better with this. I guess it's a good thing it's the weekend or else I wouldn't have a ride to school." Luffy laughed, trying to make light of the situation.

"If that ever happens, just ask me. I'm the only other person around who knows where you live anyway." Zoro responded, feeling slightly weird about offering Luffy a ride. He'd never done something like that before.

Luffy glanced over at Zoro. "You'd do that?" Zoro nodded. "Well, if I ever need your services, I'll be sure to ask!"

Zoro shoved the carrot slices over to Luffy, and Luffy poured them into the boiling water. Zoro reached for the first vegetable that caught his eye, a stalk of corn, not that it mattered, and was pleasantly surprised when he found Luffy had reached for the same exact thing.

Luffy felt as though his heart had jumped out of his chest when he'd accidentally placed his hand over Zoro's own. His stomach turned oddly for some reason, and he found himself pulling his hand back fast, muttering a small apology. What was that all about? His face felt kind of hot too, and he hoped to god he wasn't blushing, so he hid his face just in case. He quickly grabbed for something else to chop up instead to cover up his embarrassment and mistake.

Zoro blinked at the other, and slowly grabbed the corn, beginning to peel it. That was odd. He could have sworn that he saw Luffy's face change color for a second there, but maybe he was simply imagining things. Why would Luffy be embarrassed over something like that? It didn't make sense, so it must have been his imagination… or something. He shook his head and continued cutting the corn.

So, Luffy was extremely confused and embarrassed, for some reason that he did not understand, and the silence that was taking over was a bit awkward. He had to admit though, Zoro's hand had felt nice- wait, _why _was he thinking something like that? Who says someone's hand feels nice after accidentally touching it? It wasn't his fault he reached for the same thing that Zoro did. Luffy swallowed, his stomach beginning to feel kind of nervous. The fact that Zoro was standing _right beside him_, like so close that if he accidentally moved his arm over a _little _too far, he'd be able to touch him, was not helping this confusing situation that Luffy currently found himself in. What was even odder was that that wasn't the first time he'd touched Zoro's hand before. Hell, he'd grabbed his hand just this morning! But, he had been in a hurry and wasn't thinking when he did it. Also, it hadn't lasted long anyway. Now that he thought back on that though, it did make him feel a bit more embarrassed for doing such a thing, but Zoro had never said anything about it, so it mustn't have bothered him that much. Just like now. Zoro wasn't bothered at all.

Right now, he should be concentrating more on making this soup, so Ace could get better, rather than worrying about things he didn't understand. With that thought in mind, he tried to shake off the nervous feeling he had, and decided to break the silence, since it appeared that Zoro wasn't going to do so. "I'm going to go check on Ace real fast. Is that okay?" He kind of needed some space from Zoro for a few minutes anyway, and this was the perfect excuse. He also really did want to check on Ace too. He may need to warm that cloth up again.

"S'fine." Zoro mumbled, continuing to chop the rest of the vegetables.

Luffy left the kitchen to head to Ace's room. He checked the cloth, noticing that it didn't feel as warm as it should have, and went to the bathroom to run it under some warm water. Then, he retreated back to Ace and placed it over his forehead, brushing some of Ace's hair away as he did so. It was very odd to see Ace like this. His brother didn't normally get sick, and when he did, it was always something like a light cold, that he could manage himself.

Ace's face was a shade darker than before, showing the clear signs of a fever. Luffy placed the back of his hand against the side of Ace's face, feeling how warm it actually was. He really did hope that Ace would get better soon. He didn't like seeing the older one in such conditions; it really worried him, even if he tried not to let it show. He shouldn't be that worried though because Ace was strong and he was going to take good care of him like Ace always does for him, and Ace will be back up and better in no time at all!

He grabbed the forgotten thermometer and left Ace's room, stopping by the bathroom to put it back where he'd found it. Then, he went back to the kitchen. His nervousness was gone now, but he felt a sort of anticipation swelling up inside as he got closer. When he walked back in, it looked like Zoro had finished chopping everything and was now stirring the soup. Luffy pushed any uncomfortable feelings away and bounded up to the older teen. "I had to get the cloth warm again. It doesn't take long for the warmth to go away." He mentioned casually, coming to stand beside Zoro again. He peered into the pot, watching Zoro stir all the vegetables around. "How long will it take to finish?" He asked.

Zoro thought about it for a few seconds. "Just a few more minutes probably. I'm guessing he's still not awake?"

"Nope." Luffy linked his fingers together behind his back, and rocked on his heels. "Ace has never been this sick, so I don't when he'll wake up either."

"It might not be for a while. I wouldn't be surprised if he slept the rest of the day and night away."

"You really think he might sleep that long?"

Zoro shrugged. "No real way to tell, but with a temperature like that, he might. Though if he does, it'll be good for him."

Luffy grinned his usual grin. "I'm gonna take care of Ace like he does for me! He'll be better before we know it!"

The other couldn't help but smile at Luffy's optimism. It was cute in a way. Zoro almost stopped stirring when that thought flitted through his mind; he was that shocked that such a thought even appeared. But, it really wasn't a lie, Luffy was adorable by nature, with his almost child-like innocence at times and the cheery atmosphere he possessed, always with a large smile on his face. Okay, so his thoughts were getting _really _carried away. Why was he suddenly thinking like this? First he had been confused about the fact that he didn't know why he held such protectiveness over the boy, and now he was confusing himself even more with these random thoughts that really shouldn't be popping into his head.

He pushed every single thought that went through his head in the last thirty seconds to the back of his mind. He could deal with sorting those things out later; he didn't need to have all of this inner turmoil going on inside of his head while Luffy was standing right there. "Zoro?" Luffy was right in front of his face, waving a hand in front of his eyes. The younger one blinked twice, when Zoro suddenly snapped out of his daze. "You were kind of spacing out. You okay?"

Had he been spacing out? Hm, maybe he was. That was proof enough that he needed to stop thinking so much when he was around this kid. "I'm fine." He reached over and turned the burner off. "Do you have something we can put this in?"

"Yeah!" Luffy then went in search of finding a container to keep the soup in. He pulled one out from a cabinet and let Zoro pour the soup inside of it. "I guess we can just put it in the fridge since Ace isn't awake yet." Zoro snapped the lid on the container and Luffy put it inside of the refrigerator.

It had taken them quite a bit of time to make the soup, about half an hour maybe, so Zoro had been at their apartment for probably fifty or so minutes, maybe an hour, Luffy wasn't sure. He wondered exactly when Zoro planned on going home. Not that he wanted him to, he was just curious. He decided to ask. "How long do you think you're gonna stay?"

"I'm not sure. I guess until I feel like leaving?" Luffy grinned and Zoro returned it with a small smile of his own.

"Then, that means we've gotta find something else to do!"

Zoro's gaze traveled to Luffy's injured wrist. "First, does your wrist still hurt? We never did do anything about it."

Luffy lifted his arm and moved his wrist slightly. The bruises really did hurt; he'd just been pretty much ignoring the pain since taking care of Ace was more important. "A little."

"Do you have any ice?"

Luffy nodded. "I think we have some."

The other went to the freezer, spotting an ice tray inside. He also found a small plastic zip bag and poured some of the ice inside of it. After closing the bag and returning the tray of ice to the freezer, he grabbed Luffy's arm and gently wrapped the bag of ice around it. "Hold this around it and it should help some."

Luffy held onto the bag of ice, so Zoro wouldn't have to anymore. "Thanks."

"No problem. So, what were you saying about finding something to do?"

"Oh, right! I'll get on that. Let me think."

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><p>The time was currently seven-twenty two, and Zoro had left a few minutes ago. He'd stayed for a few hours actually and it had been fun! Luffy had thought up some silly games they could play, and Zoro went along with them for the heck of it, but now that Luffy was alone, save for Ace who was sleeping, he realized just how exhausted he actually was. Today had its good moments and bad ones. He didn't know if it could be called a bad day or a good one. 'Cause he did have a lot of fun with Zoro at the dojo and for the past couple of hours at the apartment, but his grandfather's visit and Ace's fever weren't really good things. But, at least he'd had Zoro with him along the way! That made things a lot more bearable for him in the long-run.<p>

He decided to go check up on Ace again since he hadn't done so in half an hour. He walked inside Ace's room and placed the bag of ice against his wrist on the night table. He felt the cloth, already knowing he'd need to warm it up again. After pulling the cloth away, he rested the palm of his hand against Ace's forehead, checking to see if he still felt as hot as before. It felt like his fever was going down, but just to make sure, he wanted to take Ace's temperature again.

Once he warmed the cloth up once again and retrieved the thermometer, he placed the cloth on Ace's forehead once more, sticking the thermometer in Ace's mouth. He waited the minute or so it took for the thermometer to read Ace's temperature, and was glad to see that it had dropped down to 99.5. That made him feel a whole heck of a lot better, because it meant that Ace was getting better all ready and it had only been a few hours.

He really did feel exhausted, but could he rest when he needed to take care of Ace? He supposed that a small nap wouldn't hurt. Luffy grabbed the plastic bag, even though there wasn't much left of the ice, and wrapped it back around his wrist, getting comfy on the floor, and leaning back against Ace's bed. He sat there for a few minutes before his exhaustion took over and he fell into a light sleep.

* * *

><p>The next time Luffy woke up, the sun was beginning to set. He could tell by the way the light looked through Ace's window. That's right! Was Ace still sleeping? He pushed himself to his knees and placed his arms on the bed, leaving the bag that was once ice and now just a bunch of water in the floor. Yep, Ace was still asleep, and he looked even better than he had before Luffy had fallen asleep.<p>

Luffy removed the now cold cloth from Ace's forehead and set it aside, feeling his temperature once more. His fever must have gone down a bit more over the past few hours. Luffy grinned. He couldn't wait until Ace woke up, and better yet, until he was completely healthy again! He giggled to himself and reached out to fix Ace's hair.

Luffy wasn't sure if it was his giggles or when he brushed Ace's hair aside that roused the other from sleep, but he was extremely happy to see Ace staring back at him.

Ace had to blink a few times before he could realize that it was Luffy kneeling at his bedside. "Luffy?"

The younger folded his arms on the bed and rested his head on them. "You feeling better?" He asked, a smile still in place. Now that Luffy mentioned it, he did feel slightly better than he had what must have been hours ago. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Oh, if you want, now that you're awake, you can have some of the soup that Zoro and I made for you."

Ace looked over at his brother, smiling a little. Luffy was so caring, it was adorable. "That'd be nice."

Luffy shot to his feet. "Then, I'll be back!" He announced before leaving the bedroom and going to the kitchen to reheat some of the soup from earlier. He returned minutes later with a bowl of the soup, and handed it to Ace. "I hope it tastes good. Zoro and I didn't try it ourselves."

Ace ate some of it and Luffy waited, wanting to know if it was actually good or not. If it wasn't, he'd be pretty disappointed for making it in the first place. Ace laughed. "_You _actually made something this good?"

Luffy nodded, proudly. "Sanji's been teaching me a lot and I had Zoro to help! I'm glad it doesn't taste bad. Now, you can start getting better again!"

When Ace finished off the last of the soup, Luffy took the bowl from him. Ace still felt a bit bad and so he curled back up in the blankets. "I hope you don't mind, but I think I'm going to take a nap."

Luffy shook his head. "I don't mind! You need lots and lots of rest anyway!"

Ace chuckled. "Thank you, Luffy. You're the best little bro a guy can have."

The other only laughed and watched as Ace fell back asleep. He honestly has very happy that Ace was getting better. He'd have to thank Zoro for helping him when he went back to school Monday.


	9. IX: Confusing Feelings

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

Warning: This chapter will contain a slightly mature situation, but nothing too mature... yet. That may come much later in further chapters.

A/N: Just so everyone knows, I felt awkward writing the beginning. I mean, it's not the first time I've written a scene like this, I've written much more mature scenes, but this is the first that I've uploaded one. So, I'm feeling awkward about that. But, hopefully you enjoy the chapter nonetheless.

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><p><em>Luffy moaned as a tongue swiped across his bottom lip, and he opened his mouth, allowing the small appendage to roam the inside of his mouth. He had his arms locked around the person's neck, tilting his head, so they had better access to his mouth. The feeling of another person's tongue in his mouth was definitely foreign, but he wasn't complaining because it felt <em>really _good. His arms tightened around the other's neck, and he seemed to be sitting in their lap. _

_It had started off with a few little kisses, developing into something much deeper and passionate as they continued. The mouth left him, leaving him feeling disappointed for a brief second before he felt a few kisses being placed against his neck. The kisses traveled further down his neck, stopping right at the junction of his neck and shoulder. From there the person continued to lightly suck and lick the patch of skin, giving it a few nips here and there. _

_He let out another small moan at the ministrations, his excitement growing when hands began roaming his body. They moved from their position around his waist, one traveling up the back of his shirt, resting on the small of his back, and the other making its way to the front of his pants. "Luffy…" A familiar voice breathed out. The hand worked on unzipping his shorts, grabbing him through his boxers, and lightly rubbing. _

_The touch only furthered his excitement, causing him to arch into the other's hand. He opened his mouth, the other's name falling from his lips in a moan. "Z-zoro…"_

_Green eyes suddenly locked with brown. "Luffy." Zoro murmured, kissing him again, deeply. The hand below his waist moved upwards, and dipped into his boxers. The feeling of Zoro's hand wrapping around him felt ecstatic; he would have moaned had his mouth not been occupied at the moment. Zoro started to move his hand-_

"_Luffy!" That wasn't Zoro. The voice was different. It sounded like… "Luffy, wake up!" Ace?_

Luffy shot up in bed so fast out of pure shock that he managed to fall off the bed entirely, his blanket becoming tangled in his limbs and landing on him during the fall. He pulled the cover off his head, making sure that it stayed covering his lower half, because now he had a slight problem there. His breathing came out deep as he tried to piece together everything.

Ace blinked. He did not expect Luffy to suddenly wake up like that and topple out of bed. He broke out into a grin and laughed at the younger. "What was that all about?"

It took Luffy longer than it should have to realize that Ace was standing there. He looked up at the other from his position on the floor, his eyes slightly wide from his previous dream he'd been woken out of. He wondered what would have happened had Ace not woke him up. Oh yeah, Ace was still standing there. Luffy suddenly grinned at his brother, trying not to focus on other matters, mainly below the belt. "You just surprised me is all."

Ace lifted a brow. "Right. Okay. Well, just get ready for school." Ace left the room, and Luffy remained sitting on the floor for a few minutes. Where had that dream come from? He'd never had a dream like that before. It wasn't a bad dream, just awkward more than anything when he thought about how he would be seeing Zoro today at school, after having such a dream about him.

The thing was that the dream didn't disturb or shock him as much as he thought it would. He figured that must have been because during these past two weeks since that day Zoro took him to the dojo, he'd begun to feel different around the other at times, and he wasn't completely sure why. The whole kitchen incident was just the start of things. Sometimes, he felt himself grow nervous when Zoro was around, but it would pass once he was around the other for a while. Then, there was that one time – he guessed it was about a week ago – when someone thought it would be awesome to trip him while walking down the stairs with Zoro at school. Yeah, that had been embarrassing, considering Zoro _had _caught him, but they had been so close that Luffy found himself growing red from the close proximity and the sudden way his stomach turned nervous at Zoro's touch.

He knew something was wrong, and he had a hunch about what it was, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to admit it to himself. Oh, and there was still that little problem he had to take care of now, courtesy of his dream. He didn't even want to think about that dream, but it was kind of difficult not to. He pulled the blanket from his body and grabbed his uniform, making his way into the bathroom. He'd get rid of it with a cold shower, because he was _not _going to go the usual route. That would only cause him to think about Zoro, which he found embarrassing and very awkward. He also felt that doing so would not be right or fair to Zoro. He shouldn't have such thoughts about his friend anyway.

This dream was going to haunt him all day, he just knew it. He wasn't even sure how he would react when he saw Zoro later, he hoped seeing the other wouldn't bother him too bad. He could just imagine Zoro coming up to him at school, and he'd be too embarrassed because of the dream that he wouldn't be able to talk to the other properly. He had to think of a way so that nothing like that happened. He had to be myself and not think inappropriate thoughts.

The more he thought about it, the guiltier he found himself feeling. Was it really okay to have these thoughts about his friend? Only he knew about them, but he still felt guilty for some strange reason. Oh well, there was nothing he could do to keep the thoughts from coming if they did, because they were very hard to get rid of. It's not like he _asked _to have such thoughts or dreams, for that matter, about Zoro, it just happened.

He got out of the shower not too long later, his problem gone now, and dried himself off. After that, he changed into his uniform, save for the tie, because they still didn't know how to put it on and none of the teachers had said anything to him about it, Zoro didn't wear one either anyway. And, there he went thinking about Zoro _again._ It was like the guy would _not _leave him alone! Ugh!

Anyway, he went through the rest of his morning routine, having breakfast with Ace, and then Ace took him to school. He was glad for first period because when they were allowed to talk to each other after the lesson, Usopp, Nami, and Vivi were able to keep him distracted enough, so that everything that had happened earlier was pushed to the back of his mind. Usopp had even asked him if he wanted to go to his house after school tomorrow, which excited him to no end. So, that meant that by second period, he'd forgotten all about his thoughts of Zoro, simply excited to see the other again after not being able to over the past weekend.

But, once the excitement began to wear off at lunch, he was suddenly brought back into those thoughts once more. The good thing was that lunch would be ending soon and he wouldn't have to see Zoro again until sixth period. Not that he didn't want to see him all the time, 'cause he did, just those stupid thoughts always got in the way, and he was beginning to get tired of trying to cover up any nervousness or embarrassment. Luffy was just happy that it appeared that Zoro didn't notice anything different with him, 'cause it would be kind of bad if he found out. He didn't want Zoro to freak out and be disgusted or anything, so the best thing to do in his mind, was to keep it to himself. The less people who knew, the better.

Lunch was over and he was currently walking to fifth period with Vivi, who was talking about something or another. He honestly tried to pay attention to what she was saying, but that dream was starting to bother him again and he found it hard to focus on anything else other than that. Did this mean that he liked Zoro as more than a friend? He would really like a second opinion on it, but he wasn't sure that telling anyone would be a good idea. Should he or not? He could always ask about it, but not reveal who it was he was talking about.

He thought about it through the lesson fifth period, and came to the conclusion that he honestly did want some help with this, so asking someone would be okay. But, who could he ask? He glanced over at Vivi who sat next to him, and considered her. She would give him honest advice and not ask too many questions.

He decided to wait, albeit impatiently, for the lesson to end, so he could find a good time to talk to her about it. When the perfect opportunity arose, he went for it. There was no point in getting all nervous and backing out of it. This was Vivi and he could trust her. "Ne, Vivi, I kind of wanted to ask you a question. If you don't mind."

Vivi looked across the desks at him. Because this was supposed to be the time they had to work on their assignment, they were allowed to work together on it. He and Vivi had devolved a system of turning their desks around, placing them together, so that they could sit across from each other. Other students did it as well, and sometimes Kohza joined them, but he hadn't today. "What is it?"

Luffy thought about how he could word this so that it didn't sound dumb. "Um, what exactly does it mean when you start to feel nervous around someone and you can't seem to get them out of your head? You try not to think about them, but it's really hard not to, and you get embarrassed easily when they're around." Luffy absently moved his pencil around in his hands, feeling slightly nervous about what Vivi would respond with. Was it really such a good idea to ask? He wasn't so sure now.

"When you put it like that, I can only think of one thing it could be." Vivi put a finger to her face, and tapped it against her chin a few times. "Those are usually feelings you experience when you really love someone. Luffy, do you love someone? I mean, are you in love with them, or is it just a crush?"

Luffy couldn't help the blush that appeared. "What makes you think I'm in love with someone?.! I never said that!" A few students turn their heads at his sudden outburst, only furthering his embarrassment. He cupped a hand over his mouth for accidentally shouting that loud. So, he really had not meant to voice it that loud, but when he was defensive, it just came out like that.

Vivi giggled and pointed at him. "You're face is red, so I'm guessing I was close in my assumptions. Am I right?"

The other pulled his hand away, looking unsure of himself. "I-I don't know. I mean I don't know what it is, and I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure. That's why I asked you. But, could that really be true? I've never been in l-love before." Luffy found himself choking up on the word, saying it out loud made him feel more embarrassed.

Vivi intertwined her fingers and rested her chin on her hands. Luffy had her full attention with this, and she wanted to help him sort out what exactly it was he was feeling. Because if it was love, well, that was a tricky feeling, especially for someone who had never been in love before. "Why don't you tell me exactly how you feel around this person, and I'll try to help. Tell me every feeling you can think of that you experience around them."

Luffy thought back on how he felt whenever he was around Zoro these past few weeks. He'd definitely felt nervous and embarrassed a lot. How else did he feel around Zoro? He looked up at Vivi, who was patiently awaiting a response. "I told you about being nervous and embarrassed. I get really happy around them too, and there's always this warm feeling inside, you know? And, when they go away, so does that feeling. I can't stop thinking about them unless I'm really distracted, and my stomach gets really queasy when I accidentally touch them." He paused, trying to think of anything else. "Oh, but despite all of that, I really like to be with them always. And, well," Should he mention the dream to her as well? She did say everything and that was something big that happened. "I-I also had a dream about them, but I probably shouldn't have, and I feel kind of guilty about it."

"Is that all?"

Luffy nodded. "It's all that I can think of."

Vivi smiled and pulled her head away from her hands. "Okay. It's obvious that you really like this person, whoever they are. You like them a lot, right?"

Luffy gave another nod.

"Do you think you may like them more than a friend?"

"Yeah, I think."

Vivi nodded. "So, if you like them more than a friend, does that mean that you think of doing things that you would do if you were more than friends with them? Like, have you ever thought about kissing them?"

Luffy's face turned red. He really didn't want to divulge that information, but if Vivi didn't know who it was he liked, then it wouldn't be all that bad. "Maybe once." He admitted.

"And other things too?"

Luffy stared hard at his desk top. He couldn't bear to look Vivi in the face. "Maybe." He muttered, embarrassed once again.

Vivi grinned. "Then, I'd say you either have a really huge crush on this person, or you've fallen for them. You can probably figure that out better than I would be able to. They are your feelings after all. Does that help any?"

She had helped him see that what he had assumed was right, but he wasn't so sure if he could accept it yet. He looked up at her once more. "Yeah. I still have to think about it some more, but that's okay, since I understand better now." He grinned at her, thankful for helping him sort some things out. He was also very thankful that she hadn't asked about who it was.

He still needed to think things through some more though. Like if he just had a crush on Zoro or if it was more than that, but if it was, how would he tell? He'd never been in love before. He found that trying to figure this out on his own was a lot harder than he expected it to be. He really needed some other advice, such as what the difference between loving someone and just liking someone felt like. But, he didn't want to keep pushing his problems and questions on Vivi either.

Could he perhaps ask Ace about what love felt like? Ace was older and probably knew more than he did about it. And, trying to figure this out on his own wasn't working too well. He could consider if he should ask throughout the rest of the school day.

When sixth period came along, Luffy was beginning to feel a bit nervous once again, simply because of the fact that Zoro was in that class. They were in the locker rooms changing and Luffy made sure to keep his back to Zoro. He didn't want to chance seeing Zoro change, just in case. Once he'd realized how much he liked the older teen, he had become much more careful around him, this was just him being careful.

He slipped his gym shirt on and closed his locker. "Luffy? You finished?" Zoro's voice sounded from right behind him and he almost jumped in surprise.

He turned around to the taller male and grinned."Yep! All finished!"

They left the locker room and started on their warm up. There were two nets set up in the gym because this week they would be playing Volleyball. The class was divided into four groups, and two teams would play against each other at one of the nets, while the other two played against each other at the second net. At their net, Zoro and Luffy were on the same team together, along with a bunch of other guys, and because Sanji refused to be a part of any team with Zoro on it, he joined the team competing against Zoro and Luffy's team.

Zoro's team served first and they got about five minutes into the game before it was Sanji's team to serve once more. And, Sanji was the one serving.

Luffy enjoyed this game very much. He got to run around a lot and let all of his energy out. Except he was starting to lose focus in the game, because he standing behind Zoro, so he had no choice but to look at him the whole time. Why didn't he pick a different position to stand at? 'Cause he wasn't thinking when he just jumped in somewhere at the beginning. Did they get to switch positions at some point? Because he really would love to.

He wasn't paying attention when Sanji was handed the volleyball. The cook took a step back, and everyone watch in disbelief as he threw the ball into the air, but instead of hitting it with his hands, _he kicked it. Hard._"What the hell?.!" Zoro shouted at him. That was not how you served a volleyball! "Are you stupid, you damn cook?.! What was that?.!" Zoro didn't even bother when the ball soared over his head. That was ridiculous.

Sanji glared. "Shut the fuck up, marimo! I'll hit the damn ball any way I want to!"

"Kicking it is against the rules, you idiot!"

"What do you know?.! You're the one who's an idiot!"

Unfortunately, because Luffy was the one behind Zoro, and wasn't paying attention to top it off, he did not expect the ball to come flying down on his head. Damn, whoever hit that, hit it _really _hard. The ball bounced off his head and he was so surprised by it that he ended up falling on his bottom. He blinked and rubbed his forehead where the ball had connected. It stung very badly and his head hurt now. Was it just him or did he just happen to get hurt _a lot? _

"Ow…"

"Nice going, Sanji! You hit the poor kid!" Some guy yelled from Zoro's team.

Zoro turned around, noticing Luffy on the ground behind him. He looked back at Sanji. "You bastard, look what your stupid kick did! Now, Luffy's hurt!"

The cook looked over at Luffy. "I didn't mean for it to hit him!"

Zoro glared at the blond once more before going over to Luffy's side. A few guys, who were going to see if Luffy was okay, backed up when Zoro approached the boy. He kneeled down on one knee in front of Luffy. "That damn cook." He muttered to himself. "You okay?"

Luffy looked up at the other grinning. "It didn't hurt that bad." He pulled his hand away from his forehead. Zoro looked closely at the red area where the ball hit Luffy. He wouldn't be surprised if a bruised formed.

He brushed some of Luffy's hair away for a better look. "You sure?"

The younger cursed himself as his face turned a light shade of pink from Zoro's actions. "Y-yeah." He just noticed how close Zoro was to him too.

Zoro stood up and offered him a hand, helping him stand up from the ground. "You should sit out just to be safe."

Sit out? But, he wanted to play some more! Though, with all of these distractions, that may not have been the best idea. "Aw, do I have to?"

The older teen began pushing Luffy away, over to the nearest wall. "Yes, you do.

"But-"

"No buts. You keep getting hurt lately, so just sit out so you don't get hurt anymore. You keep freaking me out every time something happens like this."

Luffy face flushed slightly at those words. Zoro cared that much because he got hurt? Zoro gave Luffy a weird look. Now, this time he was sure Luffy's face turned red, there was no mistaking it. Then, that last time, it may not have been his imagination after all. But, why would his face be red? "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

Luffy's head snapped up. Uh-oh. Did he see?.! "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He tried to play it off casually, so that Zoro wouldn't suspect anything.

It was too late for that though, especially after Zoro's next statement. "Your face was red. And, you've been acting different lately. You're not sick or something, are you?"

Okay, so Zoro had noticed, but he hadn't caught on, so that was good. Luffy grinned again. "I don't know, maybe, but I feel fine. I'll just sit here for now and you can get back to the game."

Zoro hesitated. It seemed like Luffy wasn't telling him something, but then again, why should he care that much? If Luffy didn't want to tell him something, then he probably had a good reason as to why he's not saying anything. Zoro nodded. "Okay. And, you just watch, I'm gonna get that damn cook back for this." Zoro suddenly stomped off back to his team, intending on getting pay back for what Sanji had done, even though it was an accident. Luffy sighed, thankful that Zoro hadn't asked anymore questions, and sat on the floor, leaning back against the wall, to watch the rest of the game.

* * *

><p>Ace had picked him up from school earlier, and they were almost on their way home from Ace's work. During last period, Sanji apologized properly for accidentally hitting him during gym class. Luffy waved it off as nothing, since it really had been an accident. Then, Sanji went on, griping about that damn marimo, and what was he thinking calling him an idiot just because he kicked the ball.<p>

Luffy had considered through the rest of gym class, home ec, and when we was at work with Ace on whether he should actually talk to Ace. After thinking it through really hard, he decided on asking him anyway, because Ace was his brother, and he could trust him more than anyone else in the world. Ace was more experienced with these kinds of things than he was too, so maybe he could help him with this problem he had.

It was when they were back in the apartment and Luffy had been trying to get through some of his homework that he knew he had to say _something_, because he wasn't getting much of his work done anyway, since he was thinking about it so much. Ace was on the couch watching tv, and Luffy was sitting in the floor at the coffee table, trying to get through his work, asking Ace for help every now and again. He'd been staring at the same math problem for about five minutes now. He hadn't started to work it out or anything. Trying to do school work, especially something as difficult as his math homework, while he was being distracted by other thoughts, just was not working.

A familiar feeling of nervousness consumed him once more. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing would come out. How hard was it to ask Ace a question? Pretty damn hard, he assumed, since his voice decided to quit working on him. He had to ask though. If he didn't, he'd just remain confused about how he was really feeling. He tried again, succeeding this time around. "Ace?"

The older brother turned his attention to Luffy. "You stuck again?"

Luffy shook his head. "No, but I do have a question."

Ace's eyes traveled back to the television. "What's that?"

Luffy took a breath to calm his stomach. Why was he so nervous about asking Ace this? "Well, I was wondering if you could tell me what it feels like when someone's in love."

That most definitely caught Ace's full attention, and he looked back at Luffy, confused. "Why would you want to know that?" From what he knew, Luffy wasn't interested in or dating anyone, so why would he ask such a question?

The younger chose to stare at the table instead of Ace. "I just wanted to know."

Ace was still confused, but he answered Luffy anyway. "I couldn't honestly tell you from experience, since I've never been in love myself, but people say that it's one of the best feelings. But, at the same time, it can cause a person a great deal of pain as well. Those situations are usually when a person loves someone, but that other person doesn't feel the same. Following me?" Luffy nodded, listening intently. "Okay, and being in love probably feels really nice. Because when you're around that person, you're always happy. But, usually if for some reason the person you love isn't happy, then you might feel the same, because all you want for them is to be happy too. Does that answer your question?"

"Kind of. What does a person feel other than happiness when they love someone?"

Ace thought about it. "I guess they would feel nervous around that person at times, and they might be afraid of what that other person thinks of them a lot. I'm sure that when you're around them, your heart races really fast too at times, and the smallest things could make you embarrassed."

"I think I understand." Even though he'd understood everything that Ace told him and some of that applied to him, he still wasn't very sure about this whole thing with Zoro. He knew he liked Zoro a lot, but how much was a lot?

Maybe what he needed to do was to stop thinking too far into things. Because the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. This whole thing was a new experience and he wasn't quite sure if he liked it all that much.

Ace, on the other hand, was still curious about why Luffy was suddenly asking him about love of all things. Exactly what had possessed the boy to start thinking about that kind of thing? Unless, Luffy really did like someone, and he just never noticed it. But, it was kind of hard to believe that Luffy could have romantic feelings toward another person. Why else would he ask about that though? He glanced at Luffy, only to see that the boy seemed to be thinking about something. Maybe Luffy really did like someone and was confused about how he felt. "Luffy?" The younger snapped his attention to Ace, pulling himself out of his thoughts. When Ace knew he had Luffy's attention, he continued. "Are you asking me this because you like someone?"

Luffy's face went red and he looked away. Bingo. That was the exact reason why. "No! What makes you think something stupid like that?.!"

Ace laughed. "Your face just told me that I'm right. So, my Luffy finally likes someone, huh?" Luffy didn't say anything. "I wondered if this day would ever come. Who is she?"

Luffy was certain that now this was a very bad idea. Ace wanted to know who it was, and he thought Luffy liked some girl, when that was the opposite. He didn't know how Ace would react if he told him. "Um…" He hesitated. Should he really say this? A part of him was screaming at him to not say anything, and another part told him that he should just go with it. What was he supposed to do? What would be the right thing? It was all up to him on whether he told Ace or not, but he honestly didn't know if he should.

"You don't want to tell me?" Ace asked.

It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Ace, he just wasn't sure if it would be the best thing to tell him. To tell him or not to? Ugh! This whole thing was starting to make his head hurt. Luffy sighed. "No, I want to." How could he go about saying this, without saying it straight out? "I told you before that I don't like any girls like that." There, he said that much, now hopefully Ace would get the hint.

Luffy had said that, but if he liked someone and that someone wasn't a girl, then that could mean that- So, he _had _been kind of right in his assumptions. Well, maybe. Luffy hadn't liked anyone before, so maybe it was just this guy, apparently, that Luffy liked. Now, Ace knew why Luffy had a hard time admitting that. He was probably afraid of what Ace would think of him after he knew.

Honestly, it didn't really bother Ace that much. He'd had assumptions anyway about Luffy, and was prepared in case something like this happened. Luffy was glaring at nothing in particular, probably wondering why in the world he had even said anything. Ace chuckled to lighten the mood up a bit. "Was it really that hard to tell me? Again, I ask, who is it? Do I know this guy?"

The glare disappeared from Luffy's face and he looked at Ace incredulously. "You don't care?"

Ace shook his head. "Nah, why would I care about something like that?"

"I just thought you might." Luffy said quietly.

"So, do I know them?"

Luffy had said this much, why not finish what he'd started? "Yeah."

Who did Ace know that was a friend of Luffy's? Well, he'd only met one, so that would be the logical choice and his best guess. "Is it Zoro?"

Luffy should have known. Ace didn't know any of his other friends, except Shanks, but he could be ruled out without even thinking about it. "It's Zoro, and I talked to Vivi about it today, I didn't tell her it was Zoro though, but I'm still kind of confused about everything."

"That's natural since you've never liked anyone before like this. Are you going to tell him?"

The other didn't have to think to answer that. "No. What if I did and he didn't want to be my friend anymore?" He didn't want to think about losing Zoro as his friend, ever. And, if something like this had the chance of ruining their friendship, he'd rather not tell Zoro about it. Even if he wanted to.

Ace knew exactly why Luffy wouldn't say anything to Zoro. "But, what if you did and he still stayed your friend? Or better yet, what if he likes you back?" Ace countered. Luffy was only seeing the downside to this; he wasn't looking at the other outcomes that could happen.

That was true. There was the chance that Zoro wouldn't stop being his friend, but to like him back? He couldn't hope for that much. Zoro never showed any signs of liking him more than a friend, and what if he told Zoro, and Zoro got angry at him or something? He knew he was being pessimistic about this, but he couldn't help it. He just did not want to give up their friendship all because something like this happened. He didn't want to risk it. He _wouldn't _risk it. "I'm not telling him. I can't do it."

Ace couldn't change the other's mind. If he was going to choose to keep it a secret, there wasn't much else Ace could do, but hope that Luffy knew what it would entail to make this decision. "You aren't going to regret this, are you?"

Luffy grinned. "I don't have any regrets. And, I don't plan on making any."

And, that was that. It was too soon to tell, but maybe Luffy would end up telling Zoro sometime in the future. It wasn't his business whether Luffy decided to tell or not, he just didn't want to see his little brother get hurt. Because even if it was a crush now, or perhaps even more, love could do those things to a person. And, being at the age Luffy was, he was bound to make some bad decisions and mistakes. Ace just hoped this wouldn't be one of them.


	10. X: Wooing And Teasing

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: This does not apply to this chapter very much, but it will to future chapters, so I will explain. Something has come to my realization and one of my friend's attention that I'm quite sure others may have noticed. If it looks like I'm abandoning writing a lot of Zoro in this fic and writing tons about Luffy, that would be absolutely correct. Zoro is very hard for me to write for some reason. I had not planned for this story to turn out that way, but it did. Also, Ace is my favorite character and I love writing scenes with him in them. ANYWAY. So, I've decided to try and work on writing Zoro into the story more, so that he isn't left out all the time. Mostly, I want to focus more on his thoughts, rather than Luffy's like I've been doing. This chapter still applies more to Luffy than Zoro, but I'm hoping that next chapter I can change that. So, sorry for the huge note, but I thought I would say something about that. Now, please go on and read!

* * *

><p>"So, Luffy, are you still planning on coming over after school today?" Usopp had been the one to ask this from next to the boy.<p>

He, Usopp, Nami, and Vivi had decided that whenever they had the chance during class, they would all move to sit together so they could talk about things while doing their work that Miss Robin assigned. Luffy hadn't forgotten about Usopp's offer. In fact, he'd told Ace last night and reminded him this morning that he wouldn't need him to pick him up from school today. Ace planned on picking him up from Usopp's house at around six, because Luffy couldn't stay there for the rest of the day. He needed time to do any homework he had, eat, things like that. Six sounded reasonable enough for him, so he agreed on it.

Luffy nodded, quite excited about being able to go to the other's house. "I told Ace. He said I could stay until six."

Usopp brought his hand to his chin and pondered. "Then, that gives us about three hours from the time school lets out. We'll have to walk to my house, but it's not that far away, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Oh, we get to walk? That's even better!"

"Don't you two ever get out to other places? Like the mall or the park or something?" Nami asked from her seat across from Luffy.

"Ace doesn't let me go by myself."

"I'm too busy doing other important things than to go somewhere like the mall!"

Nami sighed. "You two need lives, I swear." Then, she remembered Luffy's comment. So, Ace was kind of overprotective and doesn't let Luffy go out on his own? "Ne, Luffy. Do you want to go shopping with me and Vivi some time?"

Usopp frowned. "What about me?.!"

Nami glared at him. "I thought you said you had more _important _things to do."

"Oh, well, yes, I do. Not like I want to go shopping with some girls anyway." He crossed his arms and turned his nose up.

Luffy thought about Nami's offer. He wouldn't mind going with them, but he kind of wanted Zoro to be there too if he went. "Could Zoro come too?"

Nami blinked and Vivi gave a knowing smile. "Uh, sure, I guess. If he wants to, but he'll have to bring his own money!"

"Great! Then, I'll ask!"

"If Mr. Bushido says yes, then when should we do it?" Vivi asked Nami and Luffy.

Luffy didn't mind when, so he allowed Nami to answer. "How about this Saturday? Does that sound good?"

"I don't know." Luffy spoke up. "Zoro works, and I don't know what days he has off."

"Find out today." Nami stated.

Luffy grinned. "Will do!"

* * *

><p>Second period was one of the worst. Luffy hated it. But, only because it was math and he never understood it. The only reason he made it through the period without passing out because of how <em>boring <em>it actually was, is because Zoro has that class with him. And, since he sits right next to Luffy, he always made sure the other at least tried to pay attention some, so he wouldn't be totally clueless and fail the class because he didn't know anything.

Why Zoro did this, he wasn't sure himself. He guessed it just happened to do with the whole 'becoming friend's with Luffy' thing. Which wasn't as bad as he expected it to be. Luffy was a nice kid, and the fact that he could become Zoro's friend so easily was enough for Zoro to appreciate being the younger's friend. Luffy seemed to like him a lot as well, in a friendly way that is, and that made him feel grateful toward the other. Not too many people cared enough to associate with him.

Zoro glanced boredly over at said boy. He hated this class just as much as Luffy. And, the kid was sleeping. Again. How would he understand anything if he wasn't awake to listen to it? Zoro sighed. He used the pencil he was taking notes with and poked Luffy in the face with it several times. This wasn't the first time Luffy fell asleep during class, and he was now well aware of how difficult it was to wake the other up. At least he was sleeping quietly though. That still didn't mean he could sleep through class. Zoro would love to be asleep as well at the moment, but he valued his education a little more than Luffy apparently did.

Luffy didn't budge. Hm. Now, how was he to wake Luffy up without the teacher noticing them? He leaned over his desk to Luffy's and prodded the other's cheek some more with the eraser of his pencil. "Luffy." He spoke low, so that the teacher wouldn't be able to hear him. Still nothing. The teacher turned around and Zoro pulled back fast. Hopefully their teacher wouldn't notice Luffy. He was working on getting him awake, he just hadn't figured out how to do so yet. They were in back, so it was less likely that the teacher would notice. He poked Luffy's ear with the pencil and that, for some strange reason, prompted a small reaction.

Luffy swatted Zoro's hand away, but he still remained asleep. He poked it again and this time Luffy made a small noise. Kay, so there was something going on with Luffy's ear. Maybe they were sensitive or something? It sounded weird, but plausible. He checked to see if the teacher was looking their way, and when he noticed that they weren't, he leaned over his desk again. An idea had popped into his head. He didn't know if it would work or not, but there was no harm in trying. He rubbed the pencil over the outer cartilage of Luffy's ear, just to see if this really was prompting reactions on purpose. Luffy's fingers twitched. Yep, his ears must have been sensitive. This might just work.

Zoro checked for the teacher one last time, before bringing himself closer to Luffy's ear. He paused for a few seconds, and then blew into it slowly. He heard Luffy mumble something, and tried again, but harder. "Luffy."

At the sound of his name being called right next to his ear, in an eerily familiar voice, Luffy bolted upright, forgetting where he was for a brief moment. "So, you're finally awake." A voice whispered next to him. Luffy turned his face, only for Zoro's own face to be _right there _in front of his own. Luffy squeaked unintentionally and jerked his head back, his face turning slightly red.

Perhaps he shouldn't have reacted that way, because Zoro was looking at him oddly now. What was up with that reaction? Luffy turned away and looked to the front of the classroom to see what exactly he'd missed. Zoro left it alone at that. At least he'd gotten the boy awake.

* * *

><p>"Luffy, did you ever ask Zoro about what we talked about first period?" Nami asked the other at lunch later that day.<p>

Zoro had heard the question and was curious. "Ask me what?"

He'd actually forgotten to mention it in second period. Well, for the most part, he fell asleep, and then when we was woken up by Zoro of all people, he hadn't said much to the other for the rest of the period. He looked to Zoro who was staring at him, awaiting an answer. "Nami asked if I wanted to go shopping, but I wanted to ask you if you'd go too." If Zoro decided not to go, Luffy wasn't so sure if the trip would be worth it.

Zoro didn't think when he gave Luffy his response. "Why would I want to do something like that?"

Okay, so he hadn't thought about if Zoro actually said no, and he found himself feeling slightly saddened by the other's response. He couldn't let Zoro see that he was hoping the older teen would go as much as he had wanted, so he grinned. "I don't know. But, you probably have to work anyway on Saturday, so it doesn't matter."

Zoro frowned at Luffy's words. It was true that he had work on Saturday, but something like that wouldn't stop him from going, he had the first half of the day to do nothing. He was sure he didn't have work until four. But, he honestly didn't want to hang around Nami. He watched as Luffy lowered his head slightly and began pulling at pieces of grass. The kid looked disappointed. But, why? Then, it hit him. Luffy _really _wanted him to go. He wasn't sure why, but that had to be the reason.

His question before hinted that he was refusing the offer, yet he hadn't out right said no to it. He sighed. The only reason he was going to go through with this is because Luffy wanted him to go. And, he couldn't stand to see the other looking disappointed like that, it didn't suit him. Also, he felt slightly guilty for being the one who'd caused that disappointment. "Look," Luffy stopped what he was doing to give Zoro his attention. "I don't have work until four Saturday, so I'll go." The younger suddenly brightened. "But, only because I can't stand that face you were making! So, don't do that anymore." Zoro glanced away from the other. He wasn't good at admitting things like that, and he could feel his face starting to burn.

Zoro was going to go? That was great! Luffy launched himself at the other teen unexpectedly. "You said yes! I can't wait; it's going to be so fun! Especially with Zoro there too!" Zoro tried, effortlessly, to push the smaller teen off of him. He wasn't used to being touched, let alone hugged like this. He could have tugged the boy off in a matter of seconds, but something was keeping him from doing so. Luffy held on tight, grinning widely. He loved touching Zoro, and hugging him more, since he didn't get to do that much. Zoro was really warm, and the contact made the warm feeling inside of his chest grow even more.

Zoro pushed at Luffy's shoulder again. "Okay, that's enough." He felt awkward in this position, even more so when there were other people around.

"Hey, lovebirds, what time should we go this Saturday?" Nami called out casually from next to Vivi and Sanji. Luffy pulled back at that, feeling embarrassed for doing such a thing. Zoro ignored her comment.

Vivi thought about it. "If Mr. Bushido has work at four, then how about twelve? That way we'll have a few hours."

Usopp looked over at Luffy. "Are you really going to go shopping with those two? That's so girly!" Zoro shot the younger a glare, but Usopp had grown to ignore them over the past few weeks. "What? It is!"

"I wouldn't mind accompanying the ladies.

"Sanji, you aren't coming. It's just me, Vivi, Luffy, and Zoro here."

"Yes, Nami-swan."

Luffy turned back to Zoro and smiled. "Will Zoro pick me up Saturday again?"

"Who else would but me?"

* * *

><p>It was the second day of volleyball in gym class, and this time Sanji ended up on some team that wasn't Zoro's team, nor was competing against Zoro's. Luffy ended up on the team that did happen to be competing against Zoro's. Zoro only hoped that today Luffy wouldn't end up getting hurt again. It was Luffy's team that served first, Luffy being the one who was serving. He hit the ball over in the direction of Zoro.<p>

The ball went in the general direction of Zoro, but didn't make it all the way to him, so he ran forward and hit it back. Even though the direction Zoro sent the ball flying in wasn't even near Luffy, the younger decided he wanted to make the game a bit more fun and competitive for the both of them. He raced over to it, hitting the ball back instead of letting the guy who was actually ready for it hit it instead. The guy raised his eyebrow at Luffy's actions. Luffy only laughed running back over to his original position.

Zoro was wondering why Luffy had done that as well. He looked across the net at the boy who was looking back at him. Luffy's smile turned into a slight smirk, and he nodded his head in the direction of the ball, trying to give Zoro a hint. Zoro looked from Luffy to the ball, understanding clearly what it was Luffy wanted. If it was a challenge that he wanted, Zoro would gladly give it to him. Zoro dashed over and hit the ball back, making sure it went in a totally different direction from Luffy.

It was very obvious to the rest of the members on each team that these two were looking to compete against each other only. Right when someone other than Luffy or Zoro would try to go to hit the ball, one of the other two would end up jumping in front of them at the last second. It became more entertaining to watch than anything.

This continued for quite some time, and at one point had even caught the other two team's attention playing at the separate net. Neither Zoro nor Luffy had missed one hit so far. Every time they would hit, they tried to hit it as far away as they could without it going out of bounds, lest they wanted to end their little game sooner.

Luffy's hands were beginning to sting more and more with each hit to the ball, but he ignore them. This was just too much fun. He'd never been competitive with Zoro before, and Zoro was proving to be a good opponent.

When the ball was back to Zoro's side, the older teen hit it back with more force. The ball went soaring over Luffy's head, and he hurriedly ran to it, getting to it at the last second. His feet slid when he tried to stop, and he managed to knock the ball back, but tripped and fell. Did Luffy hurt himself again? Zoro ran forward, hitting the ball back once again, but worried about that fall more than anything.

He was caught by surprise when Luffy suddenly sprang from his position on the ground to jump at the ball, and hit it as hard as he could. He didn't realize the ball had made it over the net until it was a bit too late. Even though he tried diving at it to hit it back, he didn't make it, and the ball hit the ground, rolling to a stop by some guy's foot.

Damn. He'd been too distracted by Luffy that he lost focus on their little competition they had going on. And, now he had lost.

Luffy jumped up in excitement. "Whoo! I beat Zoro! Hey, Zoro! You wanna try again?.! I bet I'll beat you this time too!"

Zoro smirked, and grabbed the ball from the ground. He turned to Luffy. "We'll just see about that."

* * *

><p>School had let out for the day. Luffy and Usopp were walking together from the giant building, Usopp rambling on and on about something that he had supposedly done, that sounded too good to be true. It was just him being typical Usopp.<p>

Usopp really didn't live too far away from the school, so it took them no time at all to get to his house. Luffy figured this was why the other never took the bus or car. There wasn't much of a point if you lived so close to the school. Usopp let them both inside, taking off his shoes as he went. Luffy did as well since that was the polite thing to do. "Dad! I'm home!" Usopp called out.

A man with long, blond hair, styled in dreadlocks appeared before them. Luffy didn't even have to look that closely at his face to see how much Usopp resembled his father. "Heya, kid."

Usopp grabbed Luffy by the shoulders and pushed him forward. "Dad, this is Luffy. Luffy, this is my dad."

Luffy grinned and waved. "Nice to meet you, Usopp's dad!"

"The name's Yasopp." Usopp's father tilted his head. "So, you're this Luffy Usopp mentioned. It feels like I've heard that name before."

"Of course you have! I've told you about him, remember?" Usopp asked.

"The very first time you said his name, it sounded familiar. Hm." Yasopp put a hand to his chin as he thought back on where he could have heard such a name. It's not like Luffy was a very common name anyway. "You know what? I remember now. My old buddy, Shanks, mentioned that name to me once or twice. But, you couldn't be that same Luffy."

Luffy's eyes widened as well as his smile. "You know Shanks?.!"

"You are that Luffy then!" Yasopp exclaimed. His gaze traveled to the hat Luffy wore. "Actually, I should've known sooner. That was Shanks' hat, am I right?"

Luffy gripped the sides of the hat and nodded. "He gave it to me when I was younger. Back when I lived in the city he lives now!"

Yasopp smirked. "That red-haired bastard. How's he doing? I haven't seen him in years. I bet he hasn't changed at all."

"Nope! Shanks is still the same Shanks he's always been, but older! It's funny because even though he keeps getting older, he still hasn't turned grey yet."

Yasopp chuckled and Usopp frowned. "You never told me about this guy before!"

"Maybe Luffy can. They're close. From what I remember, this is the kid that followed that guy around everywhere he went."

Usopp looked to Luffy. "How'd you meet this Shanks guy anyway?"

"It was so long ago, but I still remember! Shanks saved me from drowning. I ran away from Ace this one day and I found this really cool lake. There was this little deck on it, and even though it looked really old, I went out on it. But, it broke and I fell in the lake. I can't swim, but it was okay because Shanks was the one who saved me! After that, I followed him around until he found Ace for me. Then, I told him that he had to come back and visit me because I liked him and wanted to be his friend." Luffy laughed. "Kinda of hard to believe he kept a promise like that to a seven year old. I guess he liked me too! It's so cool that your dad knows Shanks, Usopp!"

The other teen crossed his arms and smiled smugly. "Well, my dad is the best, after all. Of course he knows people like that!"

"Damn right, I'm the best. Now, why don't you and Luffy go to your room or something?"

"I want to see your room, Usopp!"

Usopp turned to the stairs. "Okay, but be prepared because I assure you, you have never seen a room such as mine before!"

"Is it that awesome?.!"

"You bet it is! Come on!" Usopp ran up the stairs, and Luffy followed. Usopp led Luffy to his room, throwing open the door, and holding his arm out. "This is my room! I have the best stuff in here! Check it out!" He ran over to a computer sitting on the floor. "I found this a week ago, but it wouldn't work, so I fixed it and put some software on it. Now, it's as good as new!" Luffy dropped down next to Usopp on his knees. Usopp turned the computer on. "See?"

Luffy watched as the computer came to life. His faced showed a look of awe. "You fixed it yourself?.! That's so cool!"

"I have lots of things I found broken that I've fixed. Like this camera!" Usopp reached over to his desk drawer and pulled out a small digital camera. He held it up and snapped a picture of Luffy with it. "I found it in the street one day, except the screen was broken. It wouldn't show anything on it, but I was able to fix it!" He turned the camera around to show Luffy the screen that now displayed the picture he'd taken of Luffy.

"Aw! I wish I could fix cool stuff like that. Whenever I break something, I always have to get Ace to buy me a new one and he gets mad."

Usopp deleted the image and put the camera aside. "If you break something again, bring it to me. I can always try to fix it."

"Really?.!" Usopp nodded. "What other kinds of things have you fixed?" He asked, curiously.

Usopp looked over inside of the drawer he'd pulled the camera out of. "Nami gave me this MP3 player that she broke because she got a new one." He held up the small device. "I fixed it also!"

Luffy moved to peer inside the drawer as well. "There's some cool stuff in here!" He exclaimed, pulling out what appeared to be a white cd player. "Did you fix this too?"

"I had to fix it once when I dropped it outside."

The other went to put the cd player back and paused when he saw a picture laying at the bottom of the drawer. He blinked and pulled it out, placing the cd player back. It appeared to be a picture of a girl with long, blond hair. She looked really pretty too. He turned it around and held it up to Usopp. "Who's this?"

"Huh?" Usopp turned around from the computer that he had been working on turning off. When he saw the picture, his face turned red and he hurriedly grabbed the picture from Luffy. "Where'd you find this?.!"

Luffy blinked again and pointed at the drawer. "In there." He grinned. "So, who is it?.! Is she your girlfriend?.!"

"N-no! She's not! What makes you think that?.!"

"You do have a picture of her."

"That doesn't mean anything!"

Luffy pointed at Usopp. "But, your face is red! Who is she?.! Do you like her then?.!"

Usopp sighed, knowing that he'd been caught this time and couldn't deny it. He looked at the picture before holding it up to show Luffy again. "Her name's Kaya. And, yeah, I like her. A lot." He mumbled the last part, looking away.

Usopp didn't just like her, he liked her a lot. Did that mean he was in love with her? This stuff was new to Luffy. If Usopp had feelings for someone, would he be able to explain some things to him? "If you like her a lot, does mean you love her?"

The other pulled the picture back, glancing down at it. "I love her, but if you mean 'am I in love?', then I don't know. But, I've known her for a while now, and I just know that I like her a whole lot."

Luffy had never seen her around before. Did she even attend their school? "Does she go to our school or something?"

"She used to, but her family moved a year ago. We still talk to each other online and stuff, but I haven't seen her since then." Usopp put the picture away.

Luffy pulled his backpack off and laid his head on it, getting comfortable on Usopp's floor. He turned on his side toward Usopp. "Do you know if she likes you back?"

"I'm not sure. She told me she liked me once, but I know she meant as in a friend. I never had the courage to tell her I liked her before she moved."

That made Luffy think back to his conversation with Ace about whether he should tell Zoro or not about his own feelings. "Do you regret not saying anything?" He knew he was asking a lot of questions, but he was curious, and maybe Usopp could lend him some advice as well about this kind of thing.

"Kind of."

Hm, did that mean if he didn't tell Zoro, he would also regret not saying anything? He didn't much like having regrets about things. It was silent for several seconds before Luffy broke it with another question. "Say, Usopp, if you like someone, but you don't know if they like you back, how could you make them like you?"

Usopp didn't say anything for minute. Luffy blinked, waiting patiently for the other's response. "I'm sure you can't make someone like you if they don't, but there are things you can do to show that you like them without telling them you do."

"Like what?"

Usopp smirked. "There are many ways. Like, you can always woo a person, and sometimes they'll like you because of that. Or, you can go another route by flirting with them."

Luffy blinked a couple times. He'd heard those words very rarely and he never understood what they meant. "Wooing and flirting?"

"You don't know what those things are, do you?" Usopp asked blankly. Luffy shook his head. He knew he'd have to explain. "To woo a person means to do nice things for them that gets them to like you. Like giving a girl flowers or chocolate. And, flirting is when you do or say things to someone that shows you really like them when they say something to you."

Luffy liked the sound of wooing a person more so than the flirting, but he'd keep that in mind too. But, Zoro was a guy, and he surely wouldn't want flowers. Luffy didn't know if he liked chocolate either. "How else can you woo a person? What if they don't like flowers or chocolate?"

"That can be achieved in lots of ways." Usopp held a finger up. "You could take them somewhere nice, like a restaurant. You can buy them other things too, stuff they like. Or you can just say nice things to them, give them compliments. Those are all a part of wooing someone."

That gave Luffy an idea. Since Zoro would be going shopping with them, he could ask for some money to buy the older teen something. He had to figure out what the other would want first. "Thanks, Usopp! That helps a lot!"

"What do you mean? Wait, do you like someone, Luffy?.!"

Luffy grinned. "Something like that, yeah. I can use some of those tips!"

Yep, he was going to really try to woo Zoro. Perhaps if he could, Zoro would like him back!

* * *

><p>Luffy had enjoyed his short stay at Usopp's house. Usopp had tried to pressure him into spilling who he liked after that, but he never did. He didn't want too many people to know, because there would be a bigger chance that Zoro would find out that way. He and Ace had just got back home and Luffy was walking to their apartment door, Ace following behind a bit. He turned the knob, forgetting that Ace usually locked the door when he left, and was surprised to find it wasn't locked. Maybe Ace had forgotten, but it sounded like the television was on the closer he got to the livingroom.<p>

And, it was too. The reason why was currently lounging on their couch. Luffy threw down his bag and launched across the room, throwing himself at the man. "Shanks! What are you doing here?.!" The straw hat was knocked off his head as he hugged the older man, but the string attached prevented it from falling to the floor, only to hang around Luffy's neck instead.

Shanks laughed at the other's obvious excitement. "Felt like stopping in to see my Luffy." He ruffled the younger's hair affectionately. "There something wrong with that?"

Luffy shook his head and pulled back from the red haired man. "No! You can come over any time you want to! But, why are you here so late?"

"I heard you were at a friend's house. There was no point in coming earlier than that because no one would have been home." That made sense.

Then, something occurred to him. "Oh! I was at my friend Usopp's house and his dad said he knows you! He asked how you were, but I told him you were the same, just getting old."

Shanks glared playfully at the younger. "I'm not that old! Just wait; you'll be my age one day."

"Yeah, but you're twenty years older than me, so that means you're old!" Luffy stuck his tongue out at the other man. "Take that, you grandpa!"

Shanks' eyes narrowed, and he pulled Luffy down, locking his arm around the other's neck. He used his fist to rub against Luffy's head in a typical noogie fashion. "Who's old?.!"

"Ow! Shanks, quit it!"

"Not until you take back what you said. Otherwise, I'm not stopping!"

"But, it's true! Ow! Ace!"

"Calling for big brother now, are you?"

"Ace, help me!"

Ace stood back and watched, amused. "You brought this on yourself, Luffy."

"Ooh, big brother's not going to help you this time, kiddo!"

"Stop it! Fine! You're not old! I take it back!"

"I don't believe you."

"But, I mean it!"

"Nope, still don't believe you."

"B-but, Shanks!"

"Hm? What was that? You calling me old again?"

"No! I'm sorry! You're not old!"

Shanks suddenly stopped his torture on Luffy and let go of the kid. "Damn right, I'm not. Do I look old to you?"

Luffy took a step back. "I hate when you do that." He muttered, fixing his hair.

"Oh, you do not."

"Yes, I do! It hurts, you know!"

"If you can't take that much, then you're no man. Only babies whine like that!"

"I'm not a baby!"

"Oh? You look like one to me. A big one at that."

Luffy glared and turned to Ace. He pointed back at Shanks. "Shanks is being mean again."

"You started it by calling me old, kid."

Luffy turned back on the man. "That's because you are!" Then, he proceeded to run away before Shanks could do anything to him again. He chose the best place to hide. Behind Ace.

Shanks stood from the couch and approached Ace, looking behind him at Luffy. "That again, huh?"

"You can't get me here!"

"Yeah?"

Shanks jumped around behind Ace, and because Luffy was holding on to his big brother's shirt, he tugged Ace around harshly, so that Shanks wouldn't be able to get him. Ace's eye twitched at being manhandled like that. "Luffy…" Shanks reached behind Ace again, and Luffy pulled Ace around. This was his plan. A big brother shield. Yes, it worked quite nicely.

Ace reached behind himself to grab onto Luffy, trying to tug the younger away from him. It was a comical sight to behold actually. Shanks would try to dive behind Ace, and Luffy would pull the other in front of Shanks for protection, while Ace tried to get Luffy off of him. Luffy moved his arms around Ace's neck, and pulled the other around to protect himself against Shanks once again. Ace almost choked from it. He grabbed Luffy arms and pulled at them. "Luffy! L-let go!"

Of course, Luffy wasn't stupid enough to give up his shield and only tugged Ace around more. Ace glared at Shanks' smiling face in front of his own. He did not appreciate being treated in this manner! It was getting to the point where he found it hard to breathe and Luffy was still not letting up. "Luffy! Shanks! S-stop it! N-now! I…c-can't breathe, da-mn y-you." Shanks jumped for Luffy again, leaving Ace to be pulled around roughly some more. He grabbed on to Luffy's arm tight and pulled hard. "Goddamn it! STOP!" He successfully ripped Luffy away from his body and pushed him at Shanks.

"No! Ace, why'd you do that?.!"

Ace glared at Luffy. "I couldn't breathe, asshole. And, I'm not your human shield either!"

Shanks suddenly grabbed Luffy up and slung the boy over his shoulder. He proceeded to throw the other on the couch and sit on his legs. "Hey! Get off me!" Luffy shoved at the other man's arm, but Shanks didn't budge.

"Nope, you can stay there for now. Punishment for calling me old again."

Luffy groaned, but gave up, knowing it was futile to keep trying. Shanks looked over at Luffy and smiled. "So, how was school?"

Luffy glared again, but turned to look at Ace when he remembered the shopping trip. "Ace? Can I have some money for Saturday?"

Ace was currently rubbing his neck. "Why?"

"Because I'm going shopping with Zoro and I need money."

Shanks lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "That your boyfriend, Luffy?"

The younger's eyes widened and his face reddened as he looked away. "No! Why would you ask that?.!"

"A little birdie tells me you like him."

Luffy's glare shot to Ace across the room. "You told him!"

"You never said I couldn't tell, Luffy."

"Yeah, but-"

Ace shrugged. "Besides, it's just Shanks."

"You know Luffy, if you need some tips to bag this boy, I can give you tons of them!"

Luffy's face only darkened at those words. "Shut up! Like I want advice from _you."_

"Of course you do. So, am I going to get to meet this guy who's stolen our Luffy's heart?"

"No! And, quit saying those things! They're embarrassing!"

Shanks laughed at the boy. "Really now? Well, Luffy and- wait, what's the guy's name?" He asked Ace.

"Zoro."

"Haha, Luffy and Zoro sitting in a tree-"

"Shanks! Quit!"

Shanks stopped and smiled at Luffy. "You know I'm just teasing you."

"I don't like it!" Luffy looked over at Ace once more, his face a dark shade of red still. "Can I have some money or not?"

"You gonna buy your boyfriend something?" Shanks teased.

"No! And, stop calling Zoro that!"

Ace interrupted. "Yeah, I'll give you some money."

Luffy grinned at his brother. "Thanks, Ace!"

"Is Zoro going to pick you up?"

Luffy nodded at Ace. "I asked him, he said yes."

"Aw, Luffy's boyfriend is going to pick him up!"

"I said quit, Shanks!"

Shanks laughed and poked Luffy on the nose. "No. So, where was I? I'll start over. Luffy and Zoro sitti-"

"Shanks!"

* * *

><p>AN: Yes, Shanks has both of his arms in this fic :D I hope you enjoyed his teasing.


	11. XI: Shopping

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: This took longer than I expected it to, but mostly because I didn't have any of the chapter planned out before I wrote it. Anyway, I hope you like it! I also want to mention that I appreciate all the great reviews that I'm getting for this story. They make me want to continue it until the end. I never write stories hoping to get lots of reviews, and I don't like to tell people to review either, so it makes me happy that people are enjoying this story.

* * *

><p>When Zoro woke up that Saturday morning, he was not excited. At all. More annoyed than anything. He never was very excited about much anyway, but he just did not have the feeling that today would be a good day. Probably because Nami was involved. That was most definitely the reason. If Luffy had come to him and asked if just the two of them could go do something, he would have no objection to it. Vivi was okay, he didn't mind her. She kept out of other's business and was a nice girl, but Nami on the other hand. In his opinion, nothing very good came from her. She was bound to do something that would irritate him today. He'd have to keep a close eye on Luffy and make sure he didn't fall for any of her tricks.<p>

He checked the time, the red numbers on his alarm showing that it was currently eleven-ten. He pushed himself out of bed. Good, that gave him enough time to get ready for the day. He supposed he'd have just enough time to shower and eat something quick before he'd have to pick Luffy up. The younger didn't live too far away. It didn't take long at all to get to the other's apartment, giving him approximately thirty or so minutes to get ready.

It was decided that Zoro would take Luffy, and Vivi and Nami would go with each other, then they'd all meet up at the entrance of the local mall. Hopefully this time, Luffy wouldn't wake up late again. Last time had been different since they could leave at any time, but today they had to be at the mall by twelve, because he really didn't want to face Nami's wrath for being late.

He grabbed some clothes to wear and went to the bathroom for his shower. Zoro by no means was a shopping person. The only time he went out to buy things were when he needed groceries or a new outfit here and there; other than that, he didn't go out to places like the mall to shop for the fun of it. Not like Nami and Vivi. This experience was going to be different for him, but he honestly didn't plan on buying anything while he was out with them, unless something really did catch his eye. The only reason he was going was because Luffy wanted him to go. It would only be for a couple hours and besides that, he had nothing else that important to do before work.

Usually he would devote his time before work to working out. He enjoyed the feeling of striving to become stronger than he already was, that was the reason his body was so toned. He figured taking a day off from it wouldn't exactly hurt. Between shopping and work, he'd be walking around all day anyway, so it didn't matter all that much. He and Luffy hadn't hung out together outside of school in a few weeks either.

Why he found himself wanting to see the younger teen, he wasn't sure. Before Luffy came along, he never looked forward to seeing anyone. This was a first for him. Most of the time he shrugged these kinds of things off, deciding that thinking about them was not worth his time. It could only be because Luffy was his closest friend, so naturally he'd want to see the other at times. At least, that's what he'd originally thought.

Luffy was the only person capable of making him think so much like he had been doing recently. He was also still slightly confused about that thought that crossed his mind those weeks ago in Luffy's kitchen, about the other being cute. He had never expected a thought such as that to cross his mind about anybody, but it had, and it was directed at Luffy of all people. It wasn't that strange, was it? To think of your friend as cute? 'Cause Luffy was; no one could deny that. The kid was a bundle of innocence, at least it appeared that way, and the way he was always smiling about everything was less annoying than he thought it would be, and more captivating than anything. When Luffy didn't smile, something just looked off, and the sight of the other looking anything but happy, was something that Zoro found he didn't like. That was why he'd felt so guilty about making Luffy disappointed the other day. He really had not liked the look on Luffy face then.

It just stirred something in him, and he'd immediately regretted saying anything in the first place. An urge to apologize to the younger had taken over, but he didn't act on it because that was also something he found difficult to do. So, he figured that accepting Luffy's offer would be the only way to make that look go away, and he'd done so. That meant that today better damn well be worth it. Why Luffy wanted to go shopping with those two girls was beyond him, and he wasn't going to question it.

As long as Nami didn't get on his nerves, then the shopping trip couldn't be all that bad. There was no doubting that he and Luffy would end up being dragged around by the two girls today, they were girls after all, and shopping was their specialty. He never exactly understood why it was that girls had to have so many things, well, most girls. Going shopping for new clothing every week sounded pretty stupid to him and a waste of time, but if that was what they liked to do and blow their money on, then who was he to say anything about it?

They could buy out the whole mall if they wanted to, he only planned to stand by and walk around with Luffy. Perhaps the younger would like to buy some things as well. It was only logical if they were going shopping. Why go with the girls and not buy anything when they could go off somewhere, just the two of them? Aside from all of that, he supposed that it would be nice to get out for a bit today before he had to work for the rest of the day. He knew he'd be exhausted by the end of the day, but that wasn't new. He came home exhausted from work every day he had it. It was a good thing that he had tomorrow off, so that he could relax a bit and spend a portion of the day working out. Now that he remembered, he also had all that homework he'd put off too. That could be done tomorrow as well!

He hurried up his shower and proceeded to get dressed after, making his way to the kitchen for a small snack. According to his watch, it was eleven-thirty five. He finished eating and slipped on his shoes, making sure to grab his wallet and stuff it in his back pocket. Then, he grabbed his keys and left his apartment. At this rate, he'd probably get to Luffy's with just enough time to spare to get to the mall. Which meant that Luffy better be ready and waiting for him when he gets there.

On a good day with little traffic, it only took him about five or so minutes to arrive at Luffy's apartment. He turned off his car and got out, beginning to make his way to the correct apartment. This may have been only the third time he'd visited the apartment, but by now it wasn't too difficult to find the right apartment number. When he did, he knocked, patiently waiting for someone to answer.

He didn't have to wait long before the door opened, revealing not Luffy, nor the older occupant of the apartment. A man with shockingly bright red hair, and three scars over his left eye was the person who'd opened the door. Zoro had never seen this man before in his life, and he kind of wondered who he was, since he was the one in Luffy's apartment after all. Unless he got the wrong apartment, but he was absolutely sure this was Luffy's.

The man blinked at him and then smiled. Zoro was going to ask for Luffy, but the other man cut him off before he could open his mouth. "Might you be this Zoro guy that Luffy's expecting to pick him up today?" So, this was the right apartment. Then, who the hell was this guy?

"Yeah, I am. Is Luffy ready?" Zoro didn't want to sound rude to a guy he didn't even know, but he and Luffy kind of needed to get a move on, that way they wouldn't be late to the mall.

"Ah, yes. Actually, he's been waiting for quite a while. He's been in his room this whole time getting ready. Why don't you come in?" The man held the door open for Zoro and the teen accepted the offer, walking into the familiar apartment. The other began walking further into the apartment, and because Zoro was behind him, he never noticed the smirk planted on the red-haired man's face. "Oh, Luffy! Your boyfriend's here!"

At that comment, Zoro felt himself feeling very surprised, and his face was beginning to feel warm. Who did that guy think he was saying such things? He and Luffy were nothing of the sort! They were simply friends. What the hell was he spewing? Luffy busted out of his room, immediately spotting Zoro. His eyes widened, knowing that Zoro had to have heard that remark. And, he honestly wasn't sure what to say now. Would Zoro take it seriously or not? He was also stuck feeling all didn't kinds of emotions at once and he didn't know which one to act on. So, he went with whatever and just said something to break the silence that had fallen. "Shanks, don't say those stupid things! Zoro's _just _my friend! And, we're leaving!" He stomped forward and grabbed a fist full of the front of the older teen's shirt, dragging Zoro behind him toward the door. He hoped to whoever was listening that Zoro didn't notice that his face was very red by this point.

Once they had left the apartment and were away from the guy whose name Zoro now knew as Shanks, Luffy let go of Zoro's shirt. That name sounded oddly familiar. Wait, if he recalled correctly, Luffy had mentioned this man once before. Oh well, it didn't matter. What mattered was that they needed to get going, but Luffy wasn't moving. He was just standing there in front of Zoro with his back facing the other teen.

Luffy could take Shanks' teasing, he was used to it, but that was a little too far. Shanks _knew _how much he liked Zoro. He should have known to come out and wait for Zoro outside of the apartment or something instead. God, this was all Ace's fault! If only the bastard hadn't gone and spilled everything to Shanks, this wouldn't have happened. What in the world would Zoro say? Would he say anything? Zoro hadn't said a word yet. Luffy had to say something. That was just too awkward to ignore. But, he couldn't let Zoro know anything about what he felt. His face still felt warm, so he knew it was red. That meant he couldn't face Zoro just yet. Without turning around, he spoke. "I'm sorry. Just ignore anything Shanks says."

Zoro stepped forward. "Who is that guy anyway?" He wondered why Luffy wouldn't face him. Was the kid embarrassed or something? And, that comment Shanks made was a bit hard to ignore. But, if Luffy was telling him to ignore it, then that meant that guy didn't mean anything by saying it. Right? Was he kidding or not? Because this was seriously beginning to frustrate him. If there was something he didn't know, well, he damn well wanted to know it now! And, why the hell wouldn't Luffy look at him?.!

Luffy turned slightly, and pulled his hat down some to shield part of his face. Like that was any better. Luffy still wasn't looking at him when he spoke, and for some reason it really bothered the hell out of him. "That's Shanks. He a friend and he's been staying with us for a few days." Luffy peeked up at Zoro from underneath his hat, yet he still did not let the elder see his face completely. He wouldn't let Zoro see until this stupid blush went away. Except that it was starting to grow back when he looked into Zoro's intense eyes. Intense. Why was Zoro looking at him that way? Had he said something wrong? Because Zoro looked slightly off from his calm self. And, of course he would notice something like that. Geez. He followed Zoro's every movement practically now!

Zoro's eyes narrowed. Luffy was deliberately not showing his face. It was plainly obvious. Zoro felt a bit of frustration rise at that knowledge. What? Luffy couldn't look him in the face now? And, why was he irritated by something so insignificant anyway? It didn't make sense. And, he vaguely noted that they needed to be leaving at the moment. Zoro took another step forward. When he did, he noticed Luffy's foot start to move backwards. Okay, something was going on. Luffy wouldn't normally start to back away from him like that. "Luffy-"

"Shouldn't we be leaving?"

Zoro frowned. Yes, they should be leaving, but Luffy was starting to bother him, and he wanted to know _why _the kid still wouldn't pull that goddamn hat off his head. Or, at least lift it up, so he could see his face. He'd never disliked that hat until this very moment. Stupid strawhat. Luffy turned around, ready to walk away. Zoro took the few strides he needed to catch up to Luffy, and placed his hand on the younger's shoulder. At the contact, he felt the muscles in Luffy's shoulder tense, which made him frown more. The only reason that would happen is if Luffy was feeling uncomfortable around him. And, Luffy _had _no reason to feel uncomfortable around him. "Wait. What's wrong? You're acting different than normal, and you keep hiding your face."

Luffy's whole body tensed at that. Zoro had noticed that he was not showing his face on purpose. That was bad, because he'd want to know why, and Luffy had no other excuses other than the obvious, but Zoro could not know about that! And, he was a very bad liar, so lying his way out of this wouldn't exactly go over very well.

Zoro's fingers twitched. If he could just rip that damn hat off Luffy's head and turn the other around to face him properly, he'd feel much better about this. Though, he was pretty sure that Luffy would not appreciate that. But, did it matter? Luffy was the one causing him to feel irritated in the first place by not looking him in the face. Which still confused him by the way. The fact that Luffy wasn't looking at him and the fact that he cared that Luffy wasn't looking at him. Why did he care so much when Luffy was involved?.! _'This is getting me nowhere. If Luffy doesn't like it, oh well.' _With that thought in mind, he slid his hand down Luffy's arm, and pulled him around to face him, while pushing the hat off Luffy's head at the same time. Now, he felt better. Even though Luffy was looking at him with slightly wide eyes, shocked that Zoro had done such a thing, he felt better. 'Cause now he could _see _the expression on Luffy's face for once.

And, he could see exactly _why _Luffy was hiding his face in the first place. The kid's face was red, from embarrassment, he assumed. And, it only grew redder as he continued to stare at Luffy.

Luffy was shocked out of his mind. He did not count on Zoro doing that, and Zoro had seen how red his face was. Questions were sure to come now. Questions he did not want to answer. Was it too late to run away? Yes, it was. He couldn't suddenly turn tail and run from Zoro. The other would only follow him, and they still were planning on going to the mall. They were. Was that going to happen now? What was going to happen from this point on? Luffy had to think of something and fast! Except nothing came to mind. Zoro's face was enough to stop him from thinking all together. He did have quite attractive features, very attractive, so much so that he didn't want to stop staring at the beauty in front of him. But, he had to, so he turned his face away reluctantly. A hand grabbed his chin and forced his face back to where it once was, so that he was staring at Zoro again.

"Stop looking away from me. It's annoying." Zoro's hand held his face firmly, keeping him from turning his head away. Staring at Zoro like this was too much though, and this position was only making him feel more embarrassed. He did the only thing he could. He turned his eyes away instead. Zoro grit his teeth. Was looking him in the eyes longer than ten seconds _really _that hard? "Luffy! I mean it when I say stop looking away! I don't know why, but it's making me angry." Luffy's eyes snapped back at that. Zoro was angry with him? All because he wouldn't look at him? He didn't want Zoro to be angry because of him. When Zoro saw that he had Luffy's attention for once, he sighed. Luffy had this worried look on his face, and Zoro just knew it was because of his last comment. "I just want to know what's gotten into you."

Luffy swallowed. He guessed there was no getting out of this anymore. "Are you really mad?" He asked instead. First off, he didn't want Zoro angry, and if Zoro was, then he wanted to fix that immediately.

Zoro shook his head. "Not anymore. Now, what's wrong? Why are you so embarrassed?"

The younger so wanted to look away, but he knew Zoro would not tolerate that. What a predicament he got himself into this time. Damn Shanks. Damn Ace. Damn himself for feeling this way in the first place! "What Shanks said, it was embarrassing, and I didn't want you to see." Admitting that while looking Zoro dead in the eyes was very hard to do, but he managed to all the same.

Zoro pulled back slightly. That was the only reason Luffy was acting like this? Because of a comment like that? He'd found it to be embarrassing at the time too, but not to this extent. "That's all?"

Luffy nodded and Zoro dropped his arms from Luffy. So, he pretty much got worked up over something he may have thought would have been more serious, yet it wasn't. "Weren't you the one who said to ignore what he said?" He asked Luffy

"Well, y-yeah, but it's still embarrassing!"

Zoro stared at Luffy for a few seconds before checking the time on his watch. Great. The mall was about a ten minute drive on a good day, and they only had five minutes to get there. That clearly wasn't going to happen. They were going to be late for sure. "Come on. We need to go." Zoro stated as he began walking away. Luffy turned around and wordlessly followed, placing his hat back on his head. This day could not get any worse for him.

* * *

><p>Zoro and Luffy did in fact arrive late, six minutes late exactly. Nami and Vivi seemed to be waiting for them outside of the entrance, talking to each other. Nami was the first to spot them, a glare directed at both of them, but mostly at Zoro since he was the one who drove. "It's about time. It would be just like you both to show up late."<p>

"We're here now, aren't we?" Zoro countered. He could feel some irritation starting to build up already.

"Mr. Bushido's right. We're all here, so why don't we go in?"

"I agree with Vivi!" Luffy shouted, almost jumping up and down. His previous embarrassment was gone. He wanted to go inside and check everything out since this was his first time here. And, the sooner they went in, the sooner he could start looking around at different stores to see if there was anything he could buy for Zoro. He had the money Ace gave him folded up safely in one of the pockets in his shorts and everything. He hadn't thought about how he would buy the elder something with him right there, but he would surely figure something out when the time came.

Nami sighed. "Fine. Let's go in."

Luffy's attention was caught the second the four teens walked through the doors. He could smell food all over the place, and when he walked in further, he realized they were in the part of the mall that served all kinds of food. His mouth watered. Everything smelled so good! He turned to Nami. "Can we eat?.!"

Nami placed her hands on her hips and set Luffy with a stern expression. "We're not here for food, Luffy. Didn't you eat something this morning?"

"Yeah, but everything here smells really good!"

"If you already ate, then you shouldn't be hungry! Besides, if you spend all your money on food, you won't have enough to buy anything else."

Nami's statement stopped any other thoughts about food going through his head. He couldn't waste the money Ace gave him on food because it smelled good! This money was important, because he needed it to buy Zoro stuff. How else would he be able to woo the guy? This was his only chance at the moment! How dare he think of food at a time like this? Luffy's face turned determined. "Right! Let's go then!"

Zoro lifted a brow at Luffy's behavior. Since when was the kid able to pull himself away from food? Especially when he had money to buy it? Luffy must have decided that he wanted to buy something more important than food, if that was possible. The other three began walking in some direction and he followed, not bothering to pay attention to anything really. There was nothing of interest around.

"What should we do first?" Vivi asked.

Zoro was too busy not caring, while Luffy was taking everything in at once, so that left Nami to decide. "Let's look at clothes! At least if we buy too much, we'll have two certain guys to carry our bags for us." Nami smirked evilly.

Luffy remained oblivious, but Zoro had overheard her comment. "I'm not carrying your bags. Carry them your damn self." He remarked casually. Again, he was only here one reason and one reason only.

Luffy suddenly jumped into the conversation, already bored with looking around. "What store are we going to?"

Nami glanced around and pointed to a store. "Vivi and I shop here all the time. They have some of the cutest things."

With that, the two girls headed to that store, while Luffy and Zoro followed behind. Cute things? Luffy wasn't sure if Zoro would appreciate stuff like that. It wouldn't hurt to look around still. And, if he didn't find something there, they could go to all different kinds of stores after. He was bound to find something Zoro would like in the mall somewhere.

For the most part, Nami and Vivi were the only ones picking out things to buy as they went from one store to another. Zoro looked around to see if there was anything interesting, and Luffy also looked around the stores, but for a different reason. At this point, they had walked around to four stores and Luffy couldn't find a thing that he thought Zoro would like. The older teen was just too hard to shop for. Also, he found himself getting distracted by all kinds of cool things he found while looking. If only he had a little extra money, he could have bought some of those things.

The fact that he could find nothing that Zoro would like was beginning to get to him. It was most likely because Vivi and Nami were taking them to the stores they wanted to go to and most of those were filled with girly things. But, what kind of store would have stuff that Zoro liked? He was currently browsing through some accessories like jewelry. Would Zoro like any of these things? He did have his ear pierced, but Luffy had never seen him wear any other earrings besides those three. This was so complicated! He was mostly afraid that whatever he picked out for Zoro, the other wouldn't like. "Why is this so hard?" He asked out loud to himself.

"Are you having trouble with something?" Vivi suddenly asked from next to him. Luffy looked over at her and pouted. Zoro was currently elsewhere in the store, probably wherever Nami was, considering _somehow _she had persuaded him into carrying some of her things. Luffy wasn't entirely sure how that happened, since he wasn't around. He had been too busy looking for what Zoro might like. "I want to buy Zoro something, but there's nothing here that I think he'll like."

Vivi smiled. "I wouldn't get upset over it. Just look a bit harder. I'm sure whatever you buy for Mr. Bushido, he'll like very much."

Luffy wasn't so sure about that. Zoro didn't show any interest in much really. Why would he like something that Luffy bought for him if he disliked everything else? The guy didn't even want to be here anyway, and he hadn't purchased a single thing yet either. That just meant that Zoro didn't like these kinds of things. That made shopping for the other even harder. "How do you know that?" He asked, averting his attention from the jewelry. "I don't think Zoro likes any of this stuff here."

"Well, you are his friend. I think that he'll appreciate that you bought him something, no matter what it is."

Luffy thought about it. Could what Vivi said be true? Would Zoro really appreciate anything he decided to buy him? "Even if he does, I still can't find anything that I want to buy for him."

"How about I help you?" Vivi offered.

The other grinned. "You'd do that?.!"

Vivi nodded. "Of course." She looked down into the case that Luffy had once been admiring, filled with jewelry. "You were thinking of buying him jewelry?"

Luffy also looked back into the case. "I thought about it. He only wears those earrings, so I'm not sure if he'll like anything else."

"Maybe a necklace? Nothing too girly, like with a bunch of diamonds or anything, but a necklace could do if you found the right one."

He wasn't finished looking at everything in the case, so Luffy leaned back over to examine the rest of the jewelry inside. Vivi did so as well, helping Luffy scan over every piece. Luffy absently traveled further down the case, nothing exactly capturing his attention. He almost gave up when he reached the end of the case, but one particular necklace inside stopped him. He stared at it some more, wondering if this was what he wanted to buy for Zoro. Vivi came to a stop next to him and glanced at the same necklace. "Is that…?"

"Yeah. Should I get it? Does it look like the right one?"

"Do you think it's the right one?" Vivi asked instead. "It looks perfect to me. But, you decide whether you want to buy it or not, Luffy."

Luffy examined it some more, going over in his head if that should be what he buys Zoro. "I like it! And, there aren't any others like this one. It makes me think of Zoro just looking at it."

Vivi laughed. "I thought the same. It's very fitting, I think."

Luffy turned to Vivi, a large grin adorning his features. "Then, I'll get it!" He looked around after that exclamation, spotting what appeared to be a worker at the store only a few feet away. Vivi stood where she was, watching Luffy talk to the woman and have her follow him over to the case. "That one." He pointed to the necklace through the case.

"The one with the three swords?" She asked, just for confirmation. Luffy nodded and the worker proceeded to unlock the case, retrieving the necklace from inside. "Is this all you'll be buying?"

"Yep!"

"Follow me to the register then." Luffy and Vivi did as such, and the lady walked around the counter. "You look very excited. Is this for someone special?" The woman asked as she worked on putting the necklace inside of a small box.

"You could say that." Vivi answered instead. They waited for the lady to finish packing the necklace, before Luffy paid for it. He wrapped the small bag it was inside around the box and stuffed it into his pocket, so that way Nami or Zoro wouldn't ask questions. The necklace had taken most of his money, but he didn't mind. He was simply happy that he found something. Now, he just had to give it to Zoro. When? He wasn't sure, but he wanted it to be soon.

"Thanks for helping, Vivi." He told the other after successfully hiding the gift.

"No problem." Vivi paid for her things as well. While doing so, Nami and Zoro appeared at the register. Zoro was clearly irritated at having to hold so many bags at once.

Luffy blinked. Zoro had a lot more bags than he'd been carrying the last time he saw him. Which was probably only fifteen minutes ago. Nami shoved all of her things on the counter. Vivi tried to stifle a giggle. "Mr. Bushido, didn't you say that you wouldn't carry our things?"

"Don't ask. I don't want to talk about it." Zoro looked to Luffy who appeared to be empty handed. Had the kid still not bought anything? "Aren't you going to buy something?" He asked Luffy, curiously. That was a part of why there were here, wasn't it?

"I bought some candy!" That was actually true, but he'd bought it like two stores ago and didn't have any left to show for it. The stuff was cheap and he figured it wouldn't hurt to buy a couple pieces. "I'd give you some, but I ate it all."

"That's okay. I don't like much candy anyway." Zoro glanced down at all of the bags in his hands and back up to Nami. "Oi! Are you done yet?.!" He called out, irritated.

Nami turned around. "As a matter of fact, I am. Now, do your job and carry all of these." She pushed the three bags at Zoro, whose eyebrow twitched. He didn't appreciate being ordered around by Nami of all people.

"Why do I have to carry your shit?.! You're capable of doing it yourself!"

"Shut up and just carry them. You aren't doing anything useful!"

"Maybe I want to look around?.! And, I sure as hell don't want to lug all of this around while I'm at it!"

"Fine." Nami turned to Luffy. "Luffy can carry my stuff from now on."

"You can't just _say _he'll carry your stupid stuff! Luffy doesn't have to do anything you tell him to!" Zoro snatched the bags from her.

"Zoro, I wouldn't mind carrying the-"

"Shut up." Zoro cut Luffy off. "I'll carry the damn things. But, this is never happening again!"

Nami smirked. "That's more like it. Let's go to the next store!"

"Haven't you bought enough already?.!"

"Oh, Zoro, what you're carrying is only a small portion of what I usually buy. I wouldn't complain just yet."

Zoro scowled. That bitch. How he hated her so. "We've been here for an hour. How long are your shopping trips?"

"A few hours at least." Nami replied, casually leading the other three out of the store.

At least? He had work! There was no way he could stay here longer than that. "It better not last longer than two hours. I still have to take Luffy home and I have work at four, so remember that."

"Quit complaining so much, it's annoying." Nami took them to another store and looked around. "I've been wanting to bring Luffy to this store since we got here!" The look Nami set Luffy with made him feel slightly uncomfortable. She turned to Vivi. "Hey, Vivi, don't you think it'll be fun to dress Luffy up in some things? Who knows, maybe he'll find something to buy here!"

Luffy didn't exactly have the money to buy anything else, but he decided to keep quiet about that.

"Dress Luffy up? Hm, it does sound kind of fun. Do you mind, Luffy?" Vivi asked the dark-haired boy.

Zoro didn't have the best feeling about this, and Luffy was just confused. "I guess I don't. But, why do you want to have me try on things? Don't you want to buy stuff?"

"'Cause it'll be fun! Come on. Vivi and I will start picking out things right away!" They walked further into the store. Nami pointed across the store. "Luffy, you and Zoro go wait over there. That's the dressing area. We'll be over there in a few minutes."

"Okay." Luffy and Zoro did so. Zoro dumped all of the bags on the ground, not caring if they spilled over, and took a seat on the bench next to one of the dressing rooms. "Those two sure are weird sometimes." Luffy remarked, watching the girls shuffle through clothing racks.

Zoro leaned back against the wall, placing his hands behind his head. It felt nice to finally sit down for a bit. "Tell me about it."

* * *

><p>Nami smirked as she pulled out another top from the rack she was currently looking through. "Zoro's gonna love this."<p>

Vivi looked over at Nami. "What are you talking about?"

The red head folded the shirt over her arm. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed! Zoro totally has a thing for Luffy. I can completely see it, even if he doesn't know yet himself. I'm only doing him a favor by doing this."

"So, this is why you said you'd been wanting to bring Luffy here. It'll be interesting seeing Mr. Bushido's reaction."

"Yep!" Nami looked down at the bundle of clothing in her arms. "I think this should be enough for now. Let's go over and give Zoro the surprise of his life."

The two girls walked over to where Nami had ordered Luffy and Zoro to wait. Nami pointed at one of the dressing rooms. "Luffy, you go in there and get undressed. Then, I'll throw you some things over!"

Luffy hesitated before going inside of the small room and closing the door behind him. He wasn't sure why Nami wouldn't give him the clothes until he was already undressed, but he figured it would be best not to ask about it. He slipped his sandals off, his shirt and shorts coming off right after. He threw each article of clothing on the small sitting area attached to the dressing room, leaving him solely in his boxers, which wasn't very fun because it was kind of cold.

"You undressed yet?" Nami called through the door.

Luffy stepped forward. "Uh, yeah!" After that, a few articles of clothing came soaring over the top of the door. He caught them before they could fall to the ground. Luffy dangled what appeared to be a short skirt in front of his face. Why exactly did Nami give him this? He held the shirt up too, which was a white v-neck and looked kind of small. He made a face at the clothing. These were not men's clothes! "Nami! Why'd you give me these?.!" He yelled to the redhead on the other side.

"Just put them on!" Was the response he received.

He couldn't wear these things. They were meant for girls! "But, I can't wear this! These are girl clothes!"

That comment from Luffy made Zoro crack an eye open. _What? _Nami so did not give Luffy women's clothes to put on.

"Who cares? Put them on!"

"I don't want to wear girl clothes!"

She so did. What was she thinking doing such a thing? "What the hell, Nami?"

"Zoro, you stay out of this. Luffy! I'm not letting you come out until you put those on!"

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Luffy shouted back.

"Too bad! You already agreed! So, put those on!"

Luffy sighed and glared at the clothing. Why did he have to do this? Yes, he agreed, but he wouldn't have if he'd known that he would have to wear this! Luffy held the mini skirt out in front of his face with both hands. This thing was really small. He looked down to his boxers. He was pretty sure that his boxers would stick out if he put this on over them. Stupid Nami. Making him do something this embarrassing. Zoro was just outside of that door too! Oh God, he couldn't let Zoro see him in something like this! But, Nami said he couldn't come out without them on. And, Nami was a very mean person when she didn't get what she wants.

The teen slipped the shirt on first, noticing how it clung to his torso tight. It really was kind of small after all. Then, he looked at his boxers. Those were not coming off, no way. Instead of taking them off, he rolled them up. After that, he slipped the skirt on over. This thing felt very different, and it was extremely short! He looked into the mirror, noting how much different these two simple pieces of clothing made him look. Well, he didn't look horrible or anything, but it was still embarrassing. He really didn't want to step outside of that door wearing these things.

"Hurry up, Luffy!" That was Nami's voice. Luffy could hear a giggle from outside too. That must have been Vivi.

"I don't wanna come out!"

Zoro straightened from his position. "Stop making him do things he doesn't want to do."

"You just wait until he comes out, Zoro." What the hell did Nami mean by that? "Get out here, Luffy! Zoro wants to see you!"

This woman was really getting on his nerves. Using him to get Luffy to come out. Who did she think she was? Luffy unlocked the door and hesitantly pulled it open. He poked his head around it, frowning at Nami's face in front of his own. "Why do I have to do this?"

"Quit your whining and get out here." Nami pulled Luffy forward, out of the dressing room. Luffy instinctively tried to cover himself. The red head stood back, looking Luffy up and down. "You know, it doesn't look half bad on you. Who knew you could make these clothes look good."

The second Luffy was pulled from the dressing room, all thoughts inside of Zoro's head stopped, and he stared. The emotions that overcame him at that moment were all extremely confusing to him. In a sense, Luffy did not look bad at all. Zoro would dare say that the younger teen looked cute more than anything in those clothes. But, then the logical side kicked in and Zoro realized that Luffy really should _not _be wearing those clothes. Nami turned around to Zoro. "What do you think, Zoro? Doesn't Luffy look cute?"

Luffy looked away at Nami's question. If Zoro was going to stare at him like that, he didn't want to see, it was all too embarrassing. Zoro didn't answer. Instead he stood up and approached Luffy. The younger looked up, unsure of what Zoro could be thinking right now. "I think that's enough dressing up." Zoro stated, pushing Luffy backwards into the dressing room. Nami went a bit overboard with this whole dressing Luffy up thing.

Luffy was expecting Zoro to push him into the dressing room and leave, so he was confused when Zoro stepped inside with him and closed the door. "Zoro?"

The older teen sighed. "You shouldn't listen to what Nami says. She shouldn't have made you wear this in the first place." Zoro grabbed the hem of the shirt and lifted it up, pulling the clothing over Luffy's head. He threw the shirt in a random direction. "Put your actual shirt on."

Luffy glanced over at his shirt and snatched it. "Did it look that bad?" The younger asked, pulling his shirt over his head. Even if he hadn't liked the clothing, Nami had said it looked good, and Zoro's opinion mattered to him more than anyone else's. Did Zoro think he looked disgusting in those clothes or something? He was more curious than disappointed.

Zoro absently scratched the back of his head. Was there any way he could put this without it sounding too weird? Probably not. "No, it didn't look bad, but you shouldn't wear those, especially if you didn't want to."

"Oh! So, Zoro did like them?" Luffy cocked his head to the side.

Zoro looked away. He couldn't bear to see Luffy looking at him like that. Also, the kid was still wearing that skirt that he should probably be taking off. "Just put your pants back on." He ordered. Luffy hurriedly took the skirt off and slipped his shorts on. This was an experience that he never wanted to have again. The fact that Zoro was standing there the whole time he changed back into his shorts was a bit unsettling, but because Zoro had told him to change, he did. Zoro was glad to see Luffy back in his normal clothes. Luffy grabbed his hat and slipped the string over his head, allowing it to rest against his back instead of placing it on his head. "I think I've had enough fun here. Do you still want to stick around or is it okay to leave?" If Luffy wanted to stay a bit longer, Zoro wouldn't mind it, he did have a few hours to kill before work.

Luffy grinned. The biggest reason he was here was accomplished, so they could leave. "If you want to."

"Then, I guess we're leaving. Nami can carry her damn bags from now on." Zoro grabbed Luffy's wrist and unlocked the door, pulling the teen behind him. He decided not to say anything else to the girls as they walked past.

Nami opened her mouth to call out to them, but Luffy beat her to it. "Bye! I'll see you guys at school!" He waved to them with his free hand, as Zoro dragged him out of the store.

Nami blinked. "They're leaving already?" Then, she looked over at all of the bags that Zoro had placed on the ground. "What the hell? That bastard! He's supposed to carry my stuff!"

* * *

><p>The ride back to Luffy apartment was relatively nice. It wasn't awkward, and Luffy was thankful or that. This whole shopping trip was not what he'd expected it to be, but other than the whole dressing up portion, it had been fun. He was very happy to have found something to buy for Zoro. That's right. He still had to give the necklace to him. Should he wait a bit longer to give it to him or now? He really was excited to see if the other would like it. Giving it to him sooner wouldn't hurt. "Zoro, do you have work tomorrow?"<p>

Zoro didn't bother to look away from the road as he answered. "No. Why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over tomorrow. Ace doesn't have to work either, so you could talk to him too since this time he's not sick."

Zoro thought it over. He originally planned on staying home tomorrow to finish up his homework and stuff. He didn't have the time to hang out with Luffy, no matter how much he may have wanted to. "I would, but I put off all that school work and I need to finish it."

Actually, now that Zoro mentioned homework, Luffy did have his to finish as well, and he needed help with that stupid math homework. "You could do your homework with me! I have all of the math stuff to do."

Zoro wasn't too sure if they would get their homework done if they tried to do it together. It was obvious that Luffy really wanted to hang out with him some more, and denying the kid something as simple as that made him feel bad. Luffy was very good at controlling his emotions. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

Luffy looked very excited. "Does that mean you'll come over?"

"Yeah, but I can't waste time. I have to get that stupid homework finished."

"Don't worry! We can work on it together! We'll be sure to get it done."

Zoro didn't say anything as a thought occurred to him. Would that red-haired man be there tomorrow as well? He didn't know the guy at all, but he didn't exactly want another experience like earlier to happen again. What did Luffy say his name was? Shanks? Yeah, that was it. "Is that Shanks guy going to be there?" He asked the other.

"Nope! Shanks is leaving tonight. That's what he said. He can't stay with us longer than a few days. It'll just be me, you, and Ace." Luffy loved Shanks and all, but even he was kind of glad that the older man would be leaving. He'd gotten an overdose of Shanks' teasing, and quick frankly, he was getting annoyed with it. He knew Shanks meant no harm by it, but one could only take so much.

The rest of the ride was filled with small conversation between the two. When Zoro pulled up to Luffy's apartment, Luffy opened the door, but hesitated before getting out. "Zoro?" The older teen gave Luffy his attention, waiting for the younger to continue. "I know that you didn't really want to go to the mall today, so thanks for going." Luffy grinned and reached into his pocket. "I found this and thought you'd like it, so I bought it." Luffy handed the wrapped box to Zoro, who accepted it, confused as to why Luffy would consider buying him something.

"Luffy-"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Zoro!" Luffy was already out of the car. He grinned and waved to Zoro before shutting the door and running off to his and Ace's apartment. Zoro glanced down at what Luffy had given him, deciding to go ahead and see what it was.

He pulled the box out of the small bag and opened it, surprised to find a silver necklace inside. It was on a silver chain and it was a heart with what appeared to be three swords sticking into it, two on one side, and one on the other side. Why would Luffy buy him something this nice? He hadn't received a gift from anyone in quite a while. And, believe or not, he actually liked the way it looked. He felt extremely grateful that Luffy had thought about him enough to buy him something like this.

He fingered the small heart, smiling at it, despite himself. He admired the necklace for a few minutes before unlocking it, and fastening it around his neck. It was so like Luffy to do something like this. Why the teen had bought him the necklace, he didn't know. What he did know, however, was that he really appreciated the necklace. He liked it a lot, and he planned on holding on to it for quite some time.


	12. XII: Distractions

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but not by too much. And, I managed two updates in one day, so I feel good about that.

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><p>Ace moved around the tiny kitchen of their apartment, pulling out pot after pot for what he was cooking. It was no secret how much his little brother loved to eat, which meant that whenever he cooked, he made a lot of food. Luffy loved to eat all different kinds of food, and you best bet that out of everything, there was more meat than vegetables and such. Ace himself loved to eat as well, but he just could not stuff it down like Luffy could. Where all of that food went, he wasn't sure. When you were the older brother of Luffy, it was essential that you knew the basics of cooking, and you damn well better know how to cook any kind of meat. Ace wasn't the best cook around, but Luffy enjoyed what he made nonetheless.<p>

The reason why he was cooking was because for the past two hours, ever since Zoro had gotten there, he and Luffy had been shut up in Luffy's room working on homework. To Ace, Zoro seemed pretty intelligent, so they were probably still working because of Luffy. The younger just did not grasp most academic content, especially anything math related. And, since they were working that hard, Ace figured the least he could do was to make sure Luffy had something to eat when he finished. Zoro was welcome to join them too if he wanted, there would be plenty of food.

All in all, Ace was very content with living here. It had been a rough start, but it was nice. Luffy had friends, and for the most part, was happy about living here too. If Luffy was happy, Ace was happy. Luffy was the most important person to him, being his younger brother and all, he couldn't help but be overprotective and spoil the kid rotten. Every time Luffy asked for something, he gladly gave it to him. Luffy never asked for much, and when he did, it was usually a little bit of money or food, and Ace was happy to give it to him. That was why when Luffy asked for some money to go shopping the other day, he gladly handed over some.

He kind of had the feeling that Luffy wouldn't plan on using the money on himself, but that was fine. Luffy had his intentions on how he wanted to spend it, and they were most likely good intentions. Ace also noticed the new necklace that Zoro seemed to be sporting today. He wouldn't jump to conclusions, because he could be wrong, but there was always the chance that his assumptions were correct. Luffy may have used that money to buy Zoro a gift because he liked the older teen so much. Ace had to admit, it was amusing to watch Luffy fawn over someone like this. He never imagined what it would be like if Luffy happened to develop a crush on someone, and he was now witnessing it.

If only Luffy would tell Zoro about his feelings. The kid wasn't exactly making a bad choice by not telling him, but Ace just knew that no matter what happened, Zoro didn't look like the type of guy who would blow off a friend because of something like that. This made Ace want Luffy to spill to the guy even more, and he'd talked to Luffy about it numerous times, but Luffy still stuck with that he wasn't going to tell.

Ace couldn't make Luffy tell Zoro, and he wouldn't mention anything about it to Zoro since Luffy didn't want him to. But, he wouldn't lie. Ever since Luffy first told him that he liked Zoro, Ace made sure to keep an eye on the older teen whenever he was around. Not in a bad way, he simply did it to see if perhaps there was the chance that Zoro may do something that would lead him to believe that the teen maybe liked his little brother back, just a little bit. If he could spot something like that, he could always try to talk Luffy into saying something again. So far, he hadn't noticed much.

That didn't mean anything though. For all he knew, Zoro could very well like Luffy back and he was just too blind to see it. Or, Zoro hid it very well. And, maybe he didn't, there was always that chance. But, if there was just the slight chance that Zoro did, Ace would not allow Luffy to pass up on it. He was in on this just as much as Luffy. Zoro was a great guy. He wouldn't want to see Luffy without someone as great as Zoro. The guy just treated Luffy so well. And, Ace only wanted the best for Luffy. In this instance, that was Zoro.

Ace absently began putting everything together that he needed for what he was making. He reached over into the drawer where they kept larger utensils, feeling around for the ladle. When he didn't feel it, he blinked and looked into the drawer, noticing that it wasn't there. Where the hell did he put that thing? Actually, he hadn't used it in quite a while. It could be anywhere, but it was usually in that specific drawer. There was the chance that it had been misplaced, so he rummaged through all the other drawers. After rechecking them all when he came up empty handed, Ace sighed and turned the burner down so their food wouldn't burn. Maybe Luffy knew where the thing was.

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><p>"I don't get it. This is too hard!" Luffy exclaimed, glaring down at his math text book.<p>

Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his temper in control. It wasn't Luffy's fault that he was a slow learner; Zoro just needed patience, which was something he found hard to have at times like these. "I just explained it to you five times. What don't you understand?" Zoro now noted that doing homework with Luffy was not the best idea. He'd finished his forty minutes ago, and had been helping Luffy with his ever since.

"I don't understand any of it. Explain it again!"

Zoro sighed. He honestly didn't think Luffy would understand it even if he explained it once more. "Alright, fine. I'll explain it again, but this is the last time." Luffy nodded and focused on listening to Zoro's explanation on how to solve the problem as best he could. He interrupted Zoro every now and again to ask a question if he suddenly didn't understand a part of the explanation. Zoro walked Luffy through the problem completely, making sure not to accidentally skip any step that would end up making Luffy even more confused. "Here. Try this one on your own." Zoro pointed at the next problem in the book, and Luffy wrote it down, desperately trying to remember how to go about doing it.

Math just did not stick with him. He tried and tried to remember, but it just did not happen most of the time. This time was no different. Halfway through the problem, Luffy gave up and groaned, falling backwards on his mattress. "This is stupid. You need to explain things better, Zoro!"

Zoro scowled down at Luffy. "The hell? I explained it six times! By now, you should understand it! It's not my fault your head's so thick that you can't remember anything."

Luffy pouted up at Zoro. "That's not fair. Math is really hard!" The younger jabbed the eraser of his pencil in Zoro's side several times.

"Stop that." Zoro grabbed the pencil from Luffy's hand, and proceeded to poke Luffy back in the stomach. The younger tried to stifle a laugh and squirmed slightly. Zoro lifted a brow at the behavior, deciding to do it again, but harder.

Luffy batted Zoro's hand away. "Don't do that." Zoro didn't listen and poked Luffy once more. Luffy slapped his hand again. "Stop poking me."

"You started it." Zoro replied blankly, poking Luffy again.

"I poked you because you're bad at explaining."

"It's not me who's the problem here. It's that head of yours." Luffy's hand rested on the spot where Zoro previously poked him, so Zoro chose to poke him with the pencil in his side a couple times, like Luffy had done to him.

Luffy laughed. "Stop!"

"What? Poking you? What's so wrong with that? Huh?" Zoro jabbed the pencil at Luffy some more. He was finding so much enjoyment in this.

Luffy kept squirming, trying to push Zoro's hand away. "It tickles, so quit it!"

Oh? Zoro smirked. Luffy probably shouldn't have revealed that bit of information to him. Because there was an idea brewing inside of his head and he couldn't stop himself from wanting to act on it. He poked Luffy with the pencil, watching the other giggle and instinctively grab onto his side. So, Luffy really _was _ticklish. This was too great to pass up on. He discarded the pencil in favor of prodding Luffy's side with his fingers. Luffy tried to shove his hand away numerous times, but pretty much failed in doing so.

Zoro decided to take it up a notch by moving to swing a leg over the other side of Luffy's body, so that the younger was trapped underneath him and could not get away as easily. The position they were currently in didn't have much of an effect on Luffy considering he was too preoccupied with trying to shove Zoro's hands away from his stomach. "So, you're ticklish?" Zoro asked, a grin taking over his features.

That was when Luffy realized he shouldn't have told Zoro that, but it was too late now to take it back. "Zoro, no!"

"Oh, I'm going to." Without a second thought, Zoro proceeded with his tickle attack on Luffy, who was too defenseless to do anything to stop it.

"Z-zoro! I said n-no!" Luffy erupted into a fit of laugher when Zoro's hands slipped under his shirt to tickle the exposed skin there. Zoro continued his tickle assault on Luffy relentlessly. He wouldn't let up on the kid for even a few seconds. No matter how much Luffy tried to stop him, he kept at it. The younger tried to force words out of his mouth, to tell Zoro to stop, but whenever he did, his laughter kept him from doing so. It's not like Zoro would have listened to him anyway.

By this time, there were tears falling down Luffy's face from the sheer amount of laughter he couldn't stop himself from producing. Zoro couldn't help but laugh with Luffy. The two were so caught up in their own actions, that they never even heard the sound of Luffy's door opening. "Hey, Luffy, do you know where we put-" Zoro suddenly stopped at the interruption, his hands still residing under Luffy's shirt. Luffy turned his head to the door, working on catching his breath by taking in deep breaths.

Ace stared at the scene in front of him, unsure of how to exactly react to it. From his point of view, it looked like he had just walked in on something he shouldn't have. He had no idea that what had really been going on was simply innocent, because he hadn't heard any of the laughter. What he was seeing in front of him was Zoro straddling his innocent little brother, with his hands somewhere under the boy's shirt, while Luffy seemed to be panting for much needed air with a slight tinge of pink covering his cheeks from his previous laughter. Overall, the position they were in hinted that this was far from anything innocent, to any outsiders that is.

The last he knew, Luffy was still pining over the older teen. What the hell had he missed? He cleared his throat awkwardly. What was he supposed to say in this situation? Suddenly a thought popped into his head and his big brother instincts took over, when he realized that in this position that Luffy and Zoro were in, it kind of appeared that Zoro may be taking advantage of his poor little brother, which he could not let happen! Luffy was to remain innocent until… well, he didn't know when. Until he said so! Yeah, he was Luffy's guardian, so it was his decision. Right? Right. "What the hell, Roronoa?"

Zoro glanced down at Luffy, who looked back up at him. The sight of Luffy still gasping for air like this, while _underneath _him sparked a bit of embarrassment inside of him, as well as some shame at being caught, by Luffy's older brother no less, in this awkward and questionable position. "Look, what you just saw isn't what you're probably thinking it is." Zoro stated, chancing a look back over at Ace.

The elder brother crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. "Uh-huh. Why don't you get your hands out of Luffy's shirt?"

Zoro hurriedly tugged his hands back at that remark. So, he'd forgotten that they were still under there. Why did he get the feeling that he was in some deep shit now? "Ace, Zoro was just-"

"I don't want to know what Zoro was doing, Luffy. I do know one thing though."

Luffy blinked, unfazed that Zoro was still on top of him, or, rather he just wasn't paying attention that Zoro was still on top of him. "What's that?" Luffy asked.

"Zoro, get off Luffy." It was stated in a calm manner, but Zoro didn't want to chance pissing off an older protective brother, so he did as such, sitting back on his legs. "And, this door stays open from now on. You got that?"

"But, Ace-"

"It stays open. I'm just going to pretend I didn't see anything and go back to the kitchen, but I will come back to check."

Luffy opened his mouth to reply, but Ace walked away before he could say anything. Luffy and Zoro looked from the previous spot that Ace was standing at to each other for a few seconds. Well, their fun couldn't be ruined by that interruption, could it? The second Luffy grinned at him, Zoro found himself pouncing on the younger to resume his tickle attack once more. It wasn't like they were doing anything bad, Ace just jumped to conclusions too quickly. Luffy let out a loud laugh. "Haha, Zoro! S-st-hahaha-op!"

The sound of retuning footsteps caught both of their attentions and they each leaped away from each other at the very last second Ace's head rounded the door again. "What did I-" Ace cut his sentence short. He was not expecting to see what was before him. Zoro was sitting cross-legged on one side of the bed, his elbow resting on his knee, and his chin propped up by his hand, looking in the opposite direction of Luffy. The younger was on the other side of the bed, absently swinging his legs back and forth as they hovered slightly above the ground, and he too looked off, innocently, in another direction other than Zoro.

Neither said a word to Ace and he frowned, feeling a bit skeptical. But, decided that the food he was currently preparing was more important to worry about than these two idiots. "Nevermind." He turned around and walked away again, this time for good.

Luffy slowly turned his head toward Zoro, who did the exact same thing. The older teen suddenly grinned and reached out an arm, poking Luffy in the side. The younger giggled, poking back at Zoro. Luffy didn't have time to think before Zoro jumped at him once more, the rest of Luffy's homework temporarily forgotten.

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><p>Ace scowled down into the food be was making. Forget about the stupid ladle, he didn't need it that much anyway. That first sight he walked in on was the complete opposite of what he was expecting. Those two were <em>supposed <em>to be doing homework, dammit. When he'd said, or thought rather, that he was in on this as much as Luffy was, he didn't mean that he was all for Zoro practically molesting his brother. That was not what he was trying to accomplish here!

Ace sighed again. Maybe he _had _overreacted just a tiny bit. Perhaps Zoro and Luffy had been doing something innocent all along. Or, and Ace's hand tightened considerably around the utensil he was using at the moment, what he saw was exactly what it looked like, and Zoro wasn't the guy he had first thought him to be. But, there was that time when he was sick and Zoro helped out considerably with that. Ace's gripped lessened. This is what you got when you were Luffy's older brother. You became overprotective, quick to assumptions, and stressed out _a lot _worrying about the kid and what he may or may not be doing. Oh, and you were stuck cooking a meal that could feed multiple families at once. When was it that he agreed to become Luffy's older brother? Because he didn't remember ever being asked about it.

But, no matter how much Luffy caused him to want to tug out his hair from worry, stress, or frustration, he still loved the kid to death. And, he could trust that Luffy wouldn't let Zoro do something like that. Well, maybe. Okay, so he really needed to stop thinking about things this much and focus more on finishing up dinner more than anything.

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><p>Luffy was lying on his bed, attempting to refill his lungs with oxygen. He was sure he had never been tickled that much in his life. Zoro picked up the abandoned math textbook. "Do you think you'll be able to finish all of this?" He asked Luffy, peeking at the boy over the book.<p>

The other shook his head and pushed himself up. Now, his sides were hurting from too much laughter. That would be Zoro's fault. "I'll get it done somehow. It won't be right, unless I ask Ace." Luffy's attention was caught by the slight sparkle of something shiny coming from Zoro's neck. He looked closer, noticing that it was the necklace he'd bought for Zoro yesterday. Zoro's shirt must have prevented him from noticing it until now. He grinned, happy that Zoro was actually wearing it. He pointed at the necklace. "Do you like it?"

Zoro looked down, pulling the necklace away from his neck to look at it. "I'm wearing it, aren't I?" He wasn't very good at giving straightforward answers, but the fact that he was wearing it, did mean that he liked it a lot.

"I'm glad you like it. I saw it and thought of you, so I bought it." Luffy decided not to say anything about that he had planned on buying Zoro something anyway.

Zoro still wasn't sure why Luffy would buy him something. And, to think he had never gotten Luffy anything before. "Why'd you spend your money on me?"

Luffy grinned. "Because I wanted to. Zoro's my friend, and you've been really nice to me too."

He had treated Luffy like a friend should, but that didn't exactly warrant a gift in return, in his book. He wouldn't question it further. He'd come to know that Luffy did certain things for certain reasons, and sometimes it was hard for others to understand why he did some of the things he did. This was one of those times for Zoro.

Luffy suddenly pushed himself on his knees and sniffed the air. Zoro thought it was a pretty random thing to do until Luffy spoke. "I smell food! I wonder if Ace is done cooking!" The younger jumped from the bed and turned to Zoro. "Do you want to stay and eat with us? Ace makes great food!"

Zoro wouldn't mind staying, he hadn't eaten in a few hours, but he was a bit hesitant after that whole thing with Ace before. Would the guy hate him now? He honestly had done nothing wrong, but it sure didn't look that way to Ace, that was obvious. It wouldn't be a good thing to be on Luffy's older brother's bad side.

"Zoro? You coming?" Luffy's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he nodded, following the boy into the livingroom. "Ace!" Luffy yelled out the elder's name as he and Zoro neared the kitchen. "I smell food!" Luffy ran over to his brother, peeking curiously into the all of the pots on the stove.

Zoro hadn't noticed it before, and why he didn't was probably because he was too shocked earlier to take notice, but when Ace turned around slightly, he could see that the guy was wearing a black apron with flames rising up on it. Odd, but not necessarily that strange. This was where Luffy lived.

"Is Zoro eating with us?" Ace asked Luffy, finishing up their meal.

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, can I have all of that?" He pointed to one specific pot and Ace pushed him away.

"No, you can't. There are other people here too, you know."

The other pouted. "Fine, but I want most of it."

"Shut up, you'll get plenty." God, the things he had to go through with this kid. Ace hurriedly finished up and it wasn't long before they all were sitting at the table. Luffy and Zoro sat next to each other, and Ace sat across from them. Honestly, Zoro felt a bit awkward. Ace hadn't said a word to him yet, and Luffy didn't seem to notice, for he was too engrossed in eating everything.

Ace happened to catch one of his stares at one point and sighed. He knew why Zoro was acting this way. It was all because of the events from earlier. He decided to say something so that Zoro wouldn't look as uncomfortable. "I trust that what you said earlier was true, Zoro. So, stop looking at me like that."

Zoro was kind of surprised by that, and Luffy looked up from his food, curious about what Ace was talking about. Zoro glanced down at his food. "I didn't mean for it to look the way it did."

The youngest swallowed his food and smiled. "It's fine, Ace. Zoro was just tickling me, that's all."

Ace gave Zoro a weird look. He hadn't thought about that. It would make sense if they were in that position. "What brought that on?"

"Luffy can't seem to understand math no matter how many times you explain it to him." Zoro replied.

Luffy frowned. "That's not true! I understand it when Ace teaches me! That's why I said you suck at explaining."

"And, I told _you _that it's just your head!"

"If it was 'just my head,' then why can I do it right when Ace shows me, but not when you do? Your explanations are confusing!"

Zoro's eyebrow twitched. "Maybe if you didn't fall asleep all the time in class, no one would have to explain it to you again."

"It's hard to stay awake in a class that boring! You're the one who's supposed to keep me awake!"

"I never agreed to that!"

"If you did, then you wouldn't have to give me sucky explanations."

Ace busted out laughing at the two arguing teenagers, effectively causing them to stop arguing with each other over something so pointless. Once he had his laughter under control, Ace looked up at the two who were staring back at him. "You're arguing over something so stupid, it's funny. I guess Luffy never finished his math then?"

"Nope! Ace, will you help me with it since you're not as confusing as Zoro?"

"I explained it _clearly _to you six times, Luffy. It's not confusing."

Ace smirked at Luffy. "Six times, huh? I'm thinking it's not because you don't understand it."

Luffy glared at his brother and decided to stuff his face instead of commenting on that. First Shanks and now Ace was going to start teasing him too? Zoro didn't say anything either, picking up on the underlying hint in Ace's statement as well. He didn't want to mention it in case he was wrong, but he had an idea. He mostly figured that maybe it had to do with how Ace found them earlier.

They finished up their meal, and shortly after Zoro packed up his things and left. It was beginning to get late and he had abandoned working out long enough. Being able to get home and do that would surely make him feel better overall. Not that he didn't have a nice time with Luffy, working out just seemed to relieve him from everything, and that was a part of why he enjoyed it so much.

Recently, he had been trying to figure out some thoughts and feelings that were confusing him slightly about Luffy. The kid had managed to change him quite a bit without him even realizing it at the time. Luffy was different than any other person he'd met for many different reasons. The number one reason being that Luffy was able to make him feel so many different things, most of which were good things. He was happy around Luffy for the most part, which wasn't something he could say he felt around a lot of other people.

He didn't know what it was exactly, but there was something, or maybe multiple things, about Luffy that made him like the younger so much. Perhaps it was simply that Luffy was his closest friend, dare he say, his best friend, and best friends did usually have stronger bonds than normal friends. That had to be it. It couldn't be anything else other than that, could it? Like, nothing more, right? It could, but Zoro found it slightly hard to believe. There was just no way.

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><p>After Zoro left, Luffy had closed the door behind him. He went to his room and picked up his text book, feeling a small emptiness now that Zoro wasn't around any longer. But, that was okay, because he needed to finish this homework for tomorrow and Ace was still here to help him with it. He retreated back into the livingroom, taking a seat next to Ace on the couch. He put the text book on the table and flipped to the right page. "This is what Zoro was trying to teach me." He pointed to the problems on the page, and Ace glanced over at them. He didn't exactly remember these too well, but there were always things inside of the book that could help him show Luffy how to do that work.<p>

Ace looked through the examples on the previous page, and once he understood how to do them, he went over one of the problems in Luffy's homework to show him how to do it correctly. He actually only had to explain it twice before Luffy tried it once more and got the answer right. Luffy was pretty proud of himself for finally being able to do it. He didn't know why, but when Zoro attempted to teach him, he could not grasp it. Maybe he did get distracted or something, who knows.

The older brother smirked once Luffy completed the problem correctly. "It took Zoro six tries and only two for me. You sure that you weren't paying attention to something else?" Ace teased, laughing at Luffy when the younger's face colored slightly because of that remark.

"I was not distracted! You make it less confusing."

"Really? And, what exactly do I do different from Zoro? Not distract you?"

"I told you that's not it!"

Ace leaned closer to Luffy's face, his smirk still in place. "I don't believe that."

"Fine." Luffy looked away from Ace and back down to his homework. "Don't believe me. I don't care."

Ace chuckled and watched Luffy, making sure the other did his homework correctly. It was one thing to do it, and another to do it right. Where would this kid be without him around?


	13. XIII: Where's Ace?

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: This chapter is also a bit shorter than most, but I hope you enjoy it still. I hope to have longer chapters in the future.

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><p>"Now, I won't be back until late tonight, so don't wait up for me to get home. You have school tomorrow after all." Ace said as he grabbed his wallet, tucking it into his back pocket and picking his keys up off of the table. It was a few days later and Ace had suddenly sprung this on Luffy. The younger clearly did not like the idea of Ace leaving.<p>

Luffy pouted. "But, Aacceeee, it'll be boring without you here! What am I supposed to do by myself?" He whined, giving Ace a pleading look.

Ace shrugged. "Beats me. Watch tv or something. You'll be fine. It's not like being by yourself for a few hours will kill you."

"You don't know that." Luffy mumbled under his breath as he dramatically fell backwards on the couch. He gave a loud sigh and glared at the television. "What if I get hungry? Who's going to make me something to eat? Huh, Ace? You always cook for me!" The younger sibling looked up at Ace who had his back turned to him.

Without turning around, Ace replied. "Luffy, you're seventeen, you can at least make yourself something to eat. There are a lot of simple things in the kitchen to eat. Quit making excuse for me to stay, because I can't. I was called into work to take over someone's shift. I'm sure that I'll be paid more for doing this too, which means that we'll have more money and I can buy a lot of food. How's that sound?"

"Food? I want lots and lots of meat!" Luffy cried as he jumped up, excited by the very thought of having more food.

Ace chuckled at Luffy's behavior. "Yeah, more food and definitely meat. But, I have to go to work, so you be good and I'll be here first thing when you wake up for school."

Luffy smiled. "Okay!" He gave Ace a hug before beginning to push his brother toward the door. "Go! Go! The faster you get there, the faster you can start working, and then we'll have money to buy more meat!"

"Woah! Luffy, slow down. And to think only a few minutes ago you didn't want me to leave."

"Well, things changed! So, go to work!" He gave Ace a final shove at the door.

Ace laughed and ruffled Luffy's hair. "I'm going. But, remember, don't go to bed too late and eat something before bed, just don't burn down the apartment if you cook."

"I won't burn down the apartment!" Luffy crossed his arms and huffed.

"I'm sure you won't." Ace opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Luffy."

"Good night, Ace!" Luffy waved as his brother walked away from the apartment. When Ace was out of sight, Luffy closed the door and turned around to the silent apartment. "What to do, what to do." He chanted to himself. His eyes drifted to the house phone and he was struck with a sudden idea. "I know! I'll call Zoro and see what he's doing. Maybe he's just as bored as I am!" The teen practically skipped over to the phone in his excitement. He hummed a tune to himself as he dialed Zoro's number and listened to it ring a few times before a familiar deep voice answered.

"_Hello?"_ Zoro grunted, wondering who on earth was calling him and what they wanted.

"Zoro! Hey!" Luffy walked to the couch and dropped onto it.

"_Luffy? What do you want?"_ He asked curiously. It's not like Luffy called him that often, no one did really.

"Ace left me here to go to work and I'm bored, so I thought I'd call you! What are you doing?" You could hear the smile in Luffy's voice as he talked.

"_I'm… eating. You called because you were bored?"_

"Yeah! Like I said, Ace left and now I have nothing to do! It's so boring! I don't know what he expects me to do for the next couple of hours. There's nothing fun to do here when Ace is gone!" Luffy flipped onto his stomach, kicking his legs in the air absently. "I thought, talking to Zoro sounds fun, so that's what I'm doing!"

_"And you called me. You know you could have also called Usopp or Sanji instead." _

Luffy picked at a lose string on the couch. "Yeah, but Zoro's my favorite! Don't tell them I said that though, they might get mad. Also, Zoro was my first friend here too. Zoro helped me!" Luffy practically beamed into the receiver even though Zoro couldn't see him smiling that big. It didn't matter since Zoro could certainly hear the happiness in Luffy's voice.

For a second Zoro found himself feeling a tad shocked, but he shrugged it off. _"Is that right? I only did what any normal person would do when I helped you. You should be more careful."_

Luffy poked idly at the couch. "Yeah… I know that. Anyway, so who's your favorite, Zoro? Do you have a favorite friend? Or a best friend?"

The green haired teen thought about Luffy's question. Did he have a best friend? He wasn't particularly close to anyone. He knew plenty of people that could potentially be considered friends, but none of them were very close, except… except Luffy, that is. Maybe it _was_ because he helped the other that time that they were close. Did that make Luffy his best friend now? Luffy is the closest friend he's had since Kuina when he was younger, but she had passed away so long ago.

"Zoro?"

At Luffy's voice, Zoro snapped out of his thoughts. _"Oh, uh… well, I guess I do." _

Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Really? So, who is it? I won't tell, I promise!" The boy jumped on the couch in his excitement.

Zoro sighed bringing the palm of his hand to his face. _"It's not like it matters, Luffy. But, because I know you won't leave me alone about it, the closest friend I have is you." _He felt sort of like an idiot after saying that, but what did he really care? This was Luffy he was talking to! If he was an idiot, what did that make Luffy?

He growled at his thoughts. Luffy was only an idiot sometimes, not all the time. "I'm Zoro's best friend…? That's so awesome! We're best friends! This is so cool! Don't you think so, Zoro?"

"_Luffy, why are we talking about this? One would think you wouldn't have to have this sort of conversation! You should just _know _whether you're someone's best friend or not! Only you would actually _ask_." _Sometimes, Zoro really wondered about this boy.

Luffy pouted from the other end. "But, I did know! I had a feeling! I just wanted to make sure I was right!"

"_Good for you. You were right. And I have homework, so I can't talk anymore."_

Luffy's bottom lip pushed out into another pout. "Aw, do you have to? I called because I was bored. If you hang up now, what am I suppose to do?"

Zoro grunted. _"Watch tv or something."_

"That's what Ace said."

"_If you're so bored, I'm sure you'll find something to do. Hell, I don't know what else to tell you, but that I need to get this stupid homework out of the way. I never have any other time to do it because of work."_

Luffy sighed. "Okay. I'll talk to Zoro tomorrow then?"

"_Mm-hm. We'll see each other tomorrow at school."_

"Will you be outside when I get there?"

"_Yes, Luffy, I will." _Zoro tried to refrain from sighing again. This kid…

"All right! Good night, Zoro!"

"_Yeah. Night, Luffy."_

After that, Luffy heard a click indicating that Zoro had hung up. He felt a bit saddened by that since he had wanted to talk to the other much longer, but he couldn't keep Zoro from finishing his homework.

Luffy put the phone down on the coffee table and looked around. What to do now? His eyes traveled around the apartment several times before he gave up and whined. "Why don't we have a pet? At least I'd have something to play with! I'll have to ask Ace tomorrow if we can get one. I can take Zoro with me to the pet shop if Ace says it's okay!" Luffy chuckled at the idea. "I want a parrot! That would be so cool! I could teach it to talk! But, I don't think Ace would like that, so maybe a cat? No, Ace doesn't like cats either… I know! A rabbit! But, would Ace like rabbits? What DOES Ace like?" Luffy pretended to stroke an imaginary beard as he thought. "Hm… a turtle? No. A fish! No, too expensive. Oh!" The boy jumped up on the couch as he punched his left palm. "A puppy! Ace likes dogs. I've decided! I'm going to ask Ace for a puppy tomorrow!" Then, he sat back on the couch giving a nod at his excellent idea. "I sure hope Ace says it's okay."

He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, noting that it was already eight-thirty. His stomach gave a small growl and Luffy looked to the kitchen. "Food!" He jumped from his spot on the couch and all but ran into the kitchen, stopping himself just before he almost slammed into the refrigerator.

Since he was in front of the thing all ready, he opened the door, looking through the contents, trying to decide on what he wanted to eat. Despite the fact that Sanji had taught him how to cook numerous foods since he'd met the guy, Luffy still wasn't one for cooking when he didn't have to, so he settled for warming up something he found that Ace had apparently made earlier.

When his food finished heating up in the microwave, Luffy grabbed a fork, and sat on the couch, flipping the tv on. He watched whatever channel was on while eating, though he wasn't particularly interested in what it was showing. Aside from the television, the apartment was eerily quiet, which was something that Luffy wasn't quite used to. There was always something going on when Ace was home, but now that he wasn't, the whole atmosphere was different and it felt weird. Luffy stared at the television, but not really watching the images on the screen. When he was by himself here, it felt lonely more than anything.

Luffy frowned and stared down at his food. He missed Ace, he missed Zoro, Shanks, Usopp, Sanji, Nami, Vivi, all of them. He wished he had at least one of his friends around, so he wouldn't feel as lonely as he did right now. He'd seen all of them today too, aside from Shanks that is, and yet, he still felt this emptiness inside of him when no one was around. It was obvious that Luffy was the kind of person who depended on his friends to be around, because without them, he'd be pretty darn lonely and lost.

Even though he had a bad feeling in his stomach because of how he was suddenly feeling, he still managed to finish off his food. He placed his plate on the coffee table, figuring he'd put it in the sink later when he felt like it.

He lay back on the couch, absently staring at the ceiling. It really was quiet; the sounds from the television vaguely reached his ears. Luffy moved his gaze to the clock again. _9:03. _It must have taken him longer to finish his food than he'd thought. What was he supposed to do now? It was boring being at home by yourself. There wasn't much he could entertain himself with, and he finished his homework earlier, so he couldn't even do that.

Television wasn't too exciting. He found that he didn't watch much of it because he was always doing other things that were more fun. As of this moment, the tv looked to be his only source of entertainment. Luffy reached for the remote and flipped through the channels, looking for anything interesting. He paused on some movie and decided to just watch it. From what he was seeing thus far, it looked to be some kind of action movie. Any other time, he probably would have enjoyed it. Perhaps if he had someone else to watch it with.

It wasn't very long before he felt his eyelids slipping, indicating that he was on the verge of falling asleep. He managed to keep waking himself up for a couple minutes, but eventually sleep overcame him, and he was pulled into a temporary unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Luffy moved an arm to rub at his eye when he was roused from his sleep. The bit of light seeping in through the curtains told him that it was the break of dawn. He pushed himself up, slowly, into a sitting position. He yawned and rubbed his eyes once more, glancing around at his surroundings. Then, he remembered that he had fallen asleep on the couch while watching television. He checked the time, and it was a miracle to see that he actually woke up by himself with just enough time to get ready for school.<p>

But, didn't Ace usually wake him up every day? And, at this time, there was always the smell of breakfast cooking too. Why didn't he smell anything? Luffy looked around, spotting his older brother nowhere near him. That was strange. Ace was always awake at this time. He woke up very early. Maybe he had come home and was sleeping from work.

Luffy got up, a bad feeling settling in his stomach as he approached Ace's closed door. There was nothing to be worried about. Ace was probably just sleeping later than usual. He turned the knob, pushing the door open quietly, so as to not wake the other up if he happened to be sleeping. The room was silent and partially dark because Ace's curtains blocked out what little of the sunlight was showing. Luffy felt his heart drop and a surge of panic overtake his body when he saw that Ace's bed was empty.

If Ace wasn't in his room, did that mean the elder wasn't home yet? Luffy left the room and rushed to the bathroom. He was disappointed to find it empty as well. Was Ace really not home? He clearly said that he would be there to wake him up, but at this rate, Ace was nowhere in the apartment.

Luffy walked back into the livingroom, immediately making his way to the window. The parking lot was completely visible from their livingroom window. He ripped the curtains open, looking around at the few parked cars outside of the building. Ace's car wasn't there. Ace really wasn't home. But, why? He should have finished up at work already, right?

Now, Luffy was beginning to get very worried. He couldn't panic though, that wouldn't be the best thing to do in this situation. There was obviously a reason why Ace wasn't home. Maybe something happened at work. There were all kinds of possibilities. Then, Luffy remembered that he still had school. He couldn't go if Ace wasn't home. That was his only way there. What was he supposed to do?

His gaze drifted around the empty apartment, and when he spotted the phone, he ran to it. He could always call Ace and find out why he wasn't home. Why hadn't he thought of that before?.! He hurriedly dialed Ace's cell phone number and waited as it continued to ring. The longer he stood there, the more nervous he began to feel. Ace wasn't even answering his phone.

Luffy redialed, trying again, but still receiving no answer. "Come on, Ace." He redialed Ace's number so many times that he lost count. Each time, he received no answer from his brother. Something had to be wrong. It was very unlike Ace not to answer his phone, especially when Luffy called as many times as he did. Luffy gave up when he realized that no matter how many more times he tried, Ace was not going to pick up his phone. This caused him to feel even more nervous. He felt as though he could get sick, his stomach was turning so much. Something was wrong with Ace. And, he honestly didn't know what else to do about it.

He'd completely forgotten all about getting ready for school. Something like that wasn't important at a time like this. Luffy stared at the phone in his hand, his fingers shaking slightly. His bottom lip trembled a bit, and he bit it to hold back any tears. He couldn't cry over this. Yes, he was terribly worried about Ace, but it wasn't anything to cry about. Still, he couldn't help it. Right now, he just wanted to make sure that Ace was okay, because he had this really bad feeling in his stomach that was making him feel sick.

His hand tightened around the phone unintentionally. The worry that he felt was taking over him badly. He couldn't just stand here and do nothing, but what else could he do? There was no other way to contact Ace. He didn't know any of Ace's friend's phone numbers or anything. Who could he call? Luffy ran over the possibilities, one name popping in his head. He immediately set to calling that person. They were sure to be able to help him.

His heart raced as he waited for any answer. It took three rings before someone picked up the phone. They didn't have the chance to say anything before Luffy started speaking. "Shanks! I need your help." His voice cracked a bit, and his throat felt as though it was closing up on him.

From the other end, Shanks rolled over on his side, and groaned. Luffy's shout didn't help at all. Everyone knew how much he liked to drink, and he'd done so last night. A lot. Right now, he was feeling the aftereffects of doing that, so his head hurt pretty badly. _"What is it, Luffy?" _He was no stranger to the sound of Luffy's voice. He'd know that kid's voice anywhere.

Luffy swallowed. His throat felt very tight. "It's Ace. He had to go to work last night and he told me he'd be here in the morning, but he isn't here! I called him a lot of times, but he never answered. I don't know what to do. I can't go to school or anything."

Shanks pushed himself out of bed. Because he was a bit more awake, he could hear how desperate and worried Luffy sounded. His hangover could wait for now. _"Listen to me, Luffy. I want you to calm down for a bit, okay? I'll make sure to find out where Ace is. Do you have someone who can take you to school?"_

The younger tried to do as Shanks said and took a few breaths to calm himself. He suddenly remembered that time when Zoro told him that if he ever needed anyone to take him somewhere when Ace couldn't, that Luffy could count on him. He could ask Zoro, if the other hadn't left for school yet. "Yeah."

Shanks moved around his bedroom, searching for some clothes. Regardless of what happened, he knew he'd probably be leaving the house. _"Don't worry." _Shanks told Luffy in a reassuring voice. _"You go to school and leave finding Ace to me. I'll make sure that I figure out why he's not home." _

"Okay. I'll go to school. But, if something's wrong, you'll come get me, won't you?" Luffy didn't want to think about that possibility, but he couldn't rule it out. If something did happen to Ace, he wanted to make sure that Shanks wouldn't leave him at school to worry.

"_I will, so go ahead and go to school for now."_

"All right, I'll call Zoro."

After that, Luffy hung up and set to dialing Zoro's number this time. It was a good thing he'd memorized it. He hoped Zoro would answer. He only had to wait seconds before the older teen's voice drifted through the phone. "_Luffy? Why are you calling this early?"_

"Ace isn't home, so I don't have a way to school." He didn't like asking Zoro to take him to school, because by the time he picked him up, they would, no doubt, be late to school, and Zoro didn't deserve that. "You don't have to take me, but-"

"_What do you mean he's not home?"_

Luffy had tried to remain calm like Shanks wanted him too, but this was a bit too much. He had no idea where his brother was, he _still _had to go to school not knowing, and now he felt bad because Zoro would be late if he decided to take him to school too. "He never came back home and he didn't answer when I called."

Zoro did not like the sound of that at all. And, Luffy was stuck by himself in that apartment worrying over Ace. The least he could do is to stop by and take the kid to school. If he didn't do that, what kind of a friend would he be? _"I'll take you to school, Luffy, if that's what you want."_

"Shanks told me to go, so I should."

"_Then, I'll be there, okay?"_

"Yeah, okay."

Despite the fact that he was extremely worried and school did not sound pleasant, he supposed going would be the best thing to do. What else was he going to do if he didn't go? Besides, Shanks told him he should, and Shanks was a very smart man. He also said he would find Ace and that Luffy shouldn't worry. So, as Luffy went to his room to get ready for the day, he tried not to think about too much.

Because the time was getting late, he decided that skipping his morning shower would be best. He honestly didn't want to make them any later than they would be. He hurriedly finished getting ready and grabbed his backpack. Once he was by the door, he slipped his shoes on, fishing around in his bag for their apartment key. Ace had given him a spare in case he ever needed it, but he'd just thrown the thing somewhere in his bag.

After spending a couple minutes digging around for it, he was able to find it all the way at the bottom underneath all of his stuff. He left the apartment, locking the door behind him, and forgetting about eating anything for breakfast. His stomach was too nauseous, that he wasn't sure if he'd be able to eat anyway.

Luffy made his way down the stairs and outside of the building, getting comfortable on the sidewalk as he waited for Zoro's car to show. He tried very hard not to think of any possible bad outcomes that involved Ace, but the more he tried, the harder it was to keep them away. There were so many 'what if's' going through his mind that he just could not stop thinking about them.

He had constantly thought 'what if Ace's hurt?' but that wasn't the worst thought that crossed his mind. Ace could or could not very well be hurt, but what if it was worse than that? What if Ace didn't come home because something terrible happened and he… he… Luffy couldn't bear to think of that. There was no way. Ace wouldn't let that happen! But, still… The thought kept nagging at him, and it wouldn't go away. It was actually beginning to upset him the more he thought about it, because he _didn't _know where Ace was and he also didn't know if Ace was okay.

If that thought ever came true, what would he do? How would he cope with something like that? No matter how much he didn't want to think about it, that was the only thing going through his mind. He really wanted to see Ace, or to at least know that the other was fine. The dark haired teen pulled his legs up and buried his face in his knees. He didn't want to go to school. He wanted to stay home and hope that Ace would return. He wanted to see Ace laugh and go on about why exactly he got home so much later than he should have.

Thinking like this was starting to tear him apart. Ace was his brother; he didn't want anything bad to happen to him, or worse, to lose him. And, trying to think about other things, like how Zoro would probably be getting there soon, couldn't stop him from still thinking negatively. His cheeks felt wet, but he didn't care, he just really really hoped that Ace was okay.

* * *

><p>After he'd hung up with Luffy on the phone, Zoro immediately left his apartment. He was just about to leave anyway; Luffy had caught him with minutes to spare. The drive to Luffy's apartment was faster than normal. Zoro wasn't sure if that was because of him, the light traffic, or both, but it didn't take long at all to arrive there.<p>

When he pulled into the parking lot, his attention was first caught by what appeared to be Luffy sitting at the edge of the sidewalk waiting. But, he had his head down. Zoro parked and got out, walking over to the younger teen. Luffy didn't seem to realize that he was there. He crouched down in front of Luffy and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Luffy?"

Zoro could hear the other give a small sniff, before he slowly raised his head to look at Zoro. The older teen was very surprised to see that Luffy was so upset that he was crying. His eyes were red, and tears still continued to fall from the younger's eyes, like they wouldn't stop. He watched as Luffy bit his lip and sniffed again, trying to gain control over his emotions, but quite obviously failing to do so.

Two hands hesitantly grasped the front of Zoro's school uniform and pulled him closer to Luffy. "Hey, what's wrong?" Zoro's hand moved to Luffy's hair as the other sobbed into Zoro's shirt. He didn't expect to find the boy in such a state. He'd never seen Luffy like this before, and he didn't like it.

Because Zoro had never been this close to someone and never had the experience of comforting another, he wasn't entirely sure how to go about it. But, he tried, and did what he thought would make Luffy feel better, even if he wasn't so sure why the other was crying. He used his free arm to wrap around Luffy's body in what he hoped was a comforting embrace. His fingers moved through the younger's dark hair in soothing motions, letting Luffy cry into his shirt. He didn't care that they would be late to school, Luffy was way more important than some tardy.

They stayed like that for a couple minutes, until Luffy's sobs died down, and he was left still holding on to Zoro's shirt, sniffling every now and again. Zoro moved his hand up and down Luffy's back, waiting patiently for the other to compose himself.

The comforting and warmth from Zoro calmed Luffy down considerably. After a bit, he slowly pulled back from Zoro. The older teen allowed him to, but did not pull his arms away, continuing to hold onto Luffy. "What was that all about?" Zoro asked, absently tucking a strand of hair behind Luffy's ear.

Luffy lifted an arm to wipe the tears from his face. "I just… I-I'm scared that A-ace isn't okay."

The younger blinked and a stray tear slid down. Zoro moved his hand to wipe it away with his thumb. "It's okay to be scared, just don't cry. I'm sure it won't be long until we find out something about Ace." Zoro moved his hand through Luffy's hair some more to try and make the other feel a bit better. "We're going to go to school, and if something happens, you'll definitely know."

Luffy gave a small nod, and Zoro helped him stand from the ground. Luffy didn't say much as Zoro walked him to the passenger's side of the car. He muttered a thanks and offered Zoro a small smile when the older teen helped him in the car, ruffling his hair a bit after. Zoro closed Luffy's door and walked around to the driver's side. For Luffy's sake, he honestly hoped that Ace was fine.

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><p>AN: I want to say that there's the chance that this story may not be uploaded for a week or so. I can't be entirely sure. The reason for this is because I've had this cyst that is extremely painful. I can't do anything without being in constant pain, and the medicine I'm taking isn't helping. I'm going to the hospital tomorrow for it, and there's the chance that it will have to be surgically drained. Ugh, so gross, I know. If that happens, because it even hurts to sit, (I'm in pain at this very moment just sitting) I may not be able to sit at a computer for a while if I happen to have surgery. The surgery wouldn't be anything too long or serious. Like 30 minutes or less. I don't have a laptop, so I can't type while lying down either, so I will resort to writing it out on paper and typing it up when I'm able to. That is all I wanted to say. I thought I should mention this just so readers know what's going on. I have a friend who has been reading every chapter I put out and he's very willing to help me out with this whole ordeal. I hate the fact that I may not be able to be online for a bit, but it's nothing I can exactly help. So, please bear with me. This is a story that I'm having a lot of fun writing and I'm hoping to see it to the end!


	14. XIV: Bad News

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: Got this chapter out faster than I thought! What I thought was a cyst, was actually an abscess and the procedure of having it removed was not fun. It was extremely painful, but I'm back faster than I thought I would be, so that's good. Now, I can continue on with this story. So, uh, I hope you like this chapter. I've had this chapter planned before I started writing this story.

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><p>Zoro didn't exactly want to leave Luffy when they arrived at school, but he had no choice considering they had different first periods. The up side was that they'd see each other in second period. That still did not keep him from slightly worrying about the kid all through first period. He sincerely did not want for Luffy to start thinking about too much at the moment, or else the kid may have another breakdown, and that would not be the best thing to have during school.<p>

The fact that Ace never did return home worried even Zoro. Yes, he was worried about Ace, but more so about Luffy and how he was taking things. There was the possibility that Ace was perfectly fine right now, and then there was the chance that he wasn't, which would explain why he never did make it back home. If Ace wasn't okay, then he sure hoped that nothing too serious happened.

It was obvious to anyone who knew Luffy and Ace like he did, that the brothers were extremely close. Zoro had never known any siblings as close as those two are. He always found it amusing how overprotective Ace is over Luffy, but he could see how the older sibling would be. Luffy could be very clumsy at times, and sometimes he wasn't the brightest when it comes to certain things. And, from what it looked like to him when he'd witnessed their grandfather's visit, Ace most probably was the one responsible for taking care of Luffy before they even moved here. They were so attached to each other, that if something was wrong with Ace at this very moment, and Luffy found out, the younger surely wouldn't take it well.

But, that was okay, because Luffy could depend on him if something was wrong. Especially after this morning, he fully intended on being there if Luffy ever needed him to be. That whole episode that happened earlier made him very concerned over Luffy. He'd never seen Luffy cry like that before; it was unsettling. The kid was just so upset and worried about his brother. Zoro found it kind of hard to watch. That was why he didn't want Luffy to start crying again. It wasn't a sight he liked to see.

Zoro chanced a look over at the time. There was still a fair amount of time left for first period. He wasn't even paying attention to the teacher anymore. He'd stopped that forever ago. Now, he just could not stop thinking, no matter how much he wanted to. There was too much happening at once, and he wouldn't be able to concentrate if he tried. Maybe Luffy was having a better time in his class. Or maybe not. He couldn't be too sure.

* * *

><p>Luffy, indeed, was not having the best time in first period. Whatever Miss Robin was talking about was flying right over his head. Going in one ear and out the other. Actually, it probably wasn't even going in one ear, he was that far out of it. His eyes still kind of burned from crying, but they weren't red anymore, which was good, so that nobody asked any questions. But, even if they did, he wouldn't be that concerned about it, since he was worried about more important things. Like where Ace was and whether he was okay or not.<p>

Luffy honestly hoped that he was. It was just really odd that Ace never came home. Ace always fell back on his word. He said he intended on being at home when Luffy woke up, but he wasn't. And, if something did occur at work, Ace would surely find a way to tell him about it. He'd called Ace's phone so many times, receiving not one answer. That right there told him something had to be seriously wrong.

Ace always answered his phone, the first time he would call. Always. Whether he was at work or where ever. Even if he wasn't supposed to have it on at work, he still kept it on. Ace liked to make sure that Luffy could always get a hold of him in case he ever needed anything or was in trouble. So, when Ace never answered one of his calls, that made him panic and feel even more worried, a bad feeling settling in his stomach all over again. That feeling was currently still there as well. It was bothering him bad. So much so, that he could not concentrate on anything.

He hadn't bothered to pick his pencil up. Miss Robin was having the class take notes, but his notebook remained blank. He wasn't even sure why he opened it in the first place. Why did Shanks tell him to come to school when he was this worried? He'd be better off staying at home, because either way he wasn't learning anything.

When Miss Robin finished her lesson and the class broke off into small groups to work, Luffy still did not say much to the others. He stared down at the assignment, but the words kind of blurred together. This wasn't working at all. He had zero concentration. He felt a tap on his shoulder and directed his attention to Usopp's face. The other held a small look of concern on his face. "You okay? You're spacing out."

Luffy blinked and sighed. "Not really. Ace didn't come home last night and I'm worried."

"You said he was your brother, right?" Nami asked. Luffy nodded in response.

"Where did he go last night?" Vivi asked, a concern look also taking over her features.

Luffy idly pushed his pencil around on his desk. "To work. He was supposed to be back while I was sleeping."

"That is strange that he didn't come back then." Vivi replied. "But, there has to be a reason why. I'm sure that you'll know something soon, Luffy." The blue haired girl smiled reassuringly.

Luffy tried to return her smile with a small one of his own. "Yeah, but I'm still going to worry."

Nami frowned. "Of course you will. He's your brother."

"This hasn't happened before?" Usopp asked, adding to the conversation.

Luffy shook his head. "Never. I called him a bunch of times too and he didn't answer."

Vivi began to look slightly worried as well. "That doesn't sound good at all. I know you may not like it, but I guess your only choice is to wait. Maybe he'll be home by the time school's out."

Luffy glanced back down to the assignment on his desk, all ready knowing that he wouldn't get it finished during class. "Maybe."

* * *

><p>Second period was a bit better than first for Luffy simply because he had Zoro in that class with him. Having the presence of the older teen near him made him feel less nervous. He wasn't exactly paying much attention in this class either. The teacher was talking, but what about, he had no idea. A look over at Zoro beside him told him that the other wasn't very interested in what the teacher was talking about for once.<p>

Zoro moved his attention, or lack thereof, from the front of the classroom, over to the younger teen beside him, who happened to be looking at him anyway. He could tell that Luffy was still worried over the whole situation concerning Ace, which wasn't surprising, but at least he was looking better about it. He felt really bad for the other though. Luffy shouldn't have to sit through school like this and worry. Staying home by himself wouldn't have been a good idea, so going to school would be the best choice right now.

"Still worried?" He whispered just loud enough for Luffy to hear.

Luffy nodded at Zoro. "I have a bad feeling." He replied back, just as lowly so the teacher wouldn't hear.

So, Luffy was still looking at all of the negative aspects about this situation. It really wasn't good for the kid to do that. He would only end up making himself upset again. "Maybe you shouldn't think about it too much."

"I wish I could do that." Luffy sighed quietly, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand. Thus far, today was probably the worst day ever. Ace's disappearance was beginning to take its toll on his emotions. It was only second period. He had no clue how he would manage to get through the rest of the day like this. If he didn't hear something soon, he felt like he was going to have some kind of emotional breakdown, and not like the one earlier. No tears, just from bottled up worry and frustration.

He thought back to last night right before Ace left and how he hadn't wanted him to go just because it would be boring without the other home. That was a stupid reason to complain to Ace about him going to work. Then, he practically pushed him out of the apartment on top of that. How much he missed Ace last night couldn't compare to how he felt right now, not knowing where he is. He'd missed Ace then because he liked having him around so much. Now, it was because he was deathly worried and simply wanted to see or hear that Ace was safe.

And, if his teachers expected him to pay attention and get through any of this work, then they had some pretty high expectations. None of that was going to happen until he got to see Ace again. There was no way. He could try, but he had the feeling that he wouldn't even be able to attempt it. He wasn't sure if they were taking notes or not, but this time he hadn't bothered to get anything out for class. The teacher didn't say a thing to him about it, so he figured that they probably just did not care. Which was good for him, because he didn't want to be forced to do something when he honestly had no concentration to do it. That only left him to continue thinking about things he'd rather not think about.

The one thing that he could appreciate out of all of this is the fact that Zoro's been there. He picked up the phone when Luffy called, agreed to take him to school, comforted him when he was upset, and Luffy could tell that Zoro was concerned about him. If there was one person he could go to or count on, it was definitely Zoro. That was what made him feel better.

Luffy was so absorbed in his thoughts that he never noticed when the teacher stopped her lecture, on whatever it was she was talking about, because of a knock at the classroom door. The door opened to reveal a woman who apparently worked at the school. She and the teacher exchanged a few words, most of the class watching them curiously. The teacher turned, her eyes moving to the back of the classroom to where Zoro and Luffy sat. Zoro's eyes narrowed once he noticed who she was looking for.

"Luffy?" She called out. Many students directed their attention to said boy. Luffy snapped out of his thoughts when he heard his name, glancing up at the teacher. Was she going to yell at him for not paying attention or something? She didn't look all that angry at him. When, she saw that she had Luffy's attention, she finished what she was going to say. "Grab your things. It looks like you're leaving early."

He was leaving? But, why? Maybe it had something to do with Ace. If that was the case, then he needed to get going immediately. Because he had nothing out, he simply grabbed his backpack and stood from his desk. Just when he was about to walk away, a hand on his wrist prevented him from moving. He glanced back at Zoro. The woman who had entered the classroom appeared to be waiting on Luffy because she hadn't left yet. "You know that this probably has to do with your brother. And, because I'm sure it does, I don't want you leaving by yourself."

Luffy turned to Zoro, who let go of his wrist. "But, you shouldn't leave-"

"I'm coming with you." Zoro stated, standing from his seat and shouldering his bag.

The younger frowned. Zoro had done so much all ready. He really should not be skipping out on school for him too. "Zoro-"

"Luffy, listen." Zoro honestly didn't care that the whole class was listening to their little conversation. What he cared about was that Luffy had someone with him in case something bad happened. The fact that someone had called for Luffy to leave was proof enough for him that everything wasn't all right. "Why else would you be leaving right now? Something's happened. And, if it's not good, you shouldn't have to be by yourself. Let's go."

Without further ado, Zoro pulled Luffy out of class. The woman from before followed them out and led them down the hallway. "Does this have to do with my brother?" Luffy asked her. He was extremely curious.

"I can't say because I don't know. I was just sent to pull you out of class. There was a man who came and requested that you leave immediately. I don't recall his name. He said it was a family emergency."

Luffy's eyes widened a fraction at those last two words. Family emergency. That didn't sound good. And, he didn't have much family, so it most definitely had to be Ace. Luffy glanced down at the floor as they walked. Not even Zoro's presence right beside him was making the gut wrenching feeling he was having go away.

The woman led them to the outside of the office. Luffy looked up when he heard the sound of someone standing up. Zoro stopped when he saw the familiar person standing there. He wouldn't forget a face like that, or hair, for that matter. The younger dropped his backpack and ran over to the older man. "Shanks! What's wrong? Did you find Ace?.!"

Normally, Shanks was very delighted to see Luffy. He would usually laugh at the boy and smile at him. This time he adorned a look that Luffy rarely saw on him. It was a pretty serious expression. He placed a hand on top of Luffy head, ruffling his hair a bit. Luffy blinked up at Shanks, feeling uneasy at that expression. "Yeah, I found him."

Zoro picked up Luffy's backpack and approached the two. "Is he okay? Where was he?" Luffy asked, becoming more worried when Shanks' expression didn't change.

Shanks moved his hands to rest on Luffy's shoulders, fixing Luffy with a dead serious look. "You're not going to like this, Luffy. But, you have to promise me that you won't take it really hard, okay?"

Luffy's eyes narrowed in a slight glare and he bit his lip. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. Couldn't Shanks give him a straight answer for once? He'd woken up to his brother gone, and spent the past few hours worried to death about him. Now, Shanks knew where he was and couldn't seem to outright tell him? "Tell me where he is! Is he at home? I want to see him!"

Zoro placed a hand on Luffy's back. "Calm down, Luffy."

The glare from Luffy's face disappeared at Zoro's words. He probably shouldn't have yelled like that. Especially at Shanks of all people. Shanks didn't mind that Luffy reacted that way. He mostly expected something like that. But, he really did not want Luffy to freak out about what he had to say. Luffy easily overreacted to things, and would definitely go off the deep end when it concerned someone as close as Ace. "Shanks, I want to see Ace." Luffy said in a less aggressive tone. His emotions tended to get the best of him, and a lot of times he would say things without thinking.

Shanks decided to simply tell Luffy. He couldn't exactly keep it from him and Luffy was upset as it is. "You'll get to see him. But, Ace is hurt. He was hurt really bad."

Whatever happened to be going through Luffy's head then was gone at those words. He'd considered the possibility, but hearing Shanks say that Ace was hurt hit hard. Just how bad was bad? "What happened?" His stomach turned, and he was beginning to get scared.

Zoro absently moved his thumb over Luffy's back. Whatever Shanks had to say wouldn't be good. He was certain that Luffy was not prepared for it either. "A car accident early this morning. It wasn't Ace's fault, but it was very bad. Ace's injuries are life-threatening. When I left the hospital, he was in surgery." Zoro didn't show it, but even he was very shocked by that news.

Luffy wasn't sure if he could believe what Shanks was telling him. It seemed impossible that something like that could happen to Ace. But, Shanks never lied to him. He'd never lie about something this serious. "A-ace…could die?"

"His injuries are bad enough." Luffy's throat constricted on him and his hands shook. This was worse than this morning. He could feel his eyes watering up just a little bit. "Luffy, that doesn't mean he will. Are you listening to me?" Shanks lightly shook Luffy's shoulders to get the boy's attention. Luffy didn't bother to look up. More like, he knew if he did, then he'd most likely lose it. But, at this rate, it looked like that would happen anyway.

Luffy's hands shakily moved to grip Shanks' wrists, whose hands were still on his shoulders. "I-I want to go w-where Ace i-is." Luffy bit his lip once more, trying to hold back his emotions.

Zoro noticed the way that Luffy deliberately shielded his face from them. This time it didn't irritate him. It only made him more concerned. "Luffy." Zoro reached out a hand toward the younger's face, but Luffy shook his head. "I know it's hard to hear, but you have to keep yourself together." Shanks pulled his hands away from Luffy's, allowing Zoro to take over. He would be the best person for Luffy to go to right now. Zoro turned Luffy to face him. This was the exact reason why he left class. Something like this was bound to happen. He bent down to be at eye level with Luffy, even if he couldn't see his eyes because of Luffy's dark hair. "It's okay to be upset." Zoro brushed Luffy's bangs away from his face. "But, what would Ace say if he saw you crying over him?"

Luffy lifted his head up and sniffled, his eyes brimming with tears just threatening to fall. Again, a sight that Zoro really disliked to see. "B-but, I c-can't-t h-help i-it." Luffy's voice shook as he tried to speak and Zoro knew that those tears were going to fall any second now. "I-I mean w-what i-if, if-"

"What if Ace is stronger than you think?"

Zoro was right. He was getting this upset and not even considering Ace's better chances. His eyes burned and Zoro's face was blurry. He blinked, but because of the tears that were built up, they ended up falling. Luffy sniffled again, and wiped his eyes dry. "Ace i-is strong." Luffy looked over to Shanks. "Can we go to the hospital?"

Shanks gave Luffy a small smile. "That's why I came here. I guess Zoro's coming too?"

Luffy nodded and Zoro didn't question how Shanks knew his name. He didn't really care and it wasn't important. Luffy reached out for his bag hanging from Zoro's arm, where he had put it when he picked it up. Zoro pulled the bag from his arm and kept it away from Luffy. "Don't worry about that."

"Come on, Luffy. I made sure to sign you out all ready." Shanks stated, leading the way out of the school. Zoro pushed Luffy forward lightly.

When they were almost to Shanks' car, Luffy suddenly realized something. "Zoro, weren't you supposed to sign out? And, what about your car?"

Zoro glanced down at Luffy, unconcerned about things like that. "I'll do something about signing out later, and my car will be fine here."

Luffy accepted that answer, and once they got to Shank's car, Zoro opened the backseat door for the younger, placing their bags somewhere out of the way, and sliding in next to him. "Do you think Ace will be out of surgery by the time we get there?" Luffy asked Shanks as the older man pulled away from the school.

"I don't know." Shanks replied from the front seat. "It might take a while."

"Oh. I hope we'll get to see him today."

Zoro didn't add to the conversation, choosing to simply listen instead. He was glad that Luffy wasn't crying and constantly thinking about the worst possible outcome like he had been before. Luffy was most likely still scared to death about Ace, but at least he wasn't breaking down or anything like that. For the most part, the ride to the hospital was quiet. Luffy chose to look out the window on the way there and Zoro leaned back into the seat, closing his eyes. The hospital was a twenty minute trip from their school, and he happened to be pretty tired from work last night. He had work tonight too, but from the way things were going, he wasn't sure if he would actually be going into work later. That wouldn't be much of a problem considering he never missed many days.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Shanks took care of showing the way to the waiting room and asking about whether Ace was indeed out of surgery or not. It turned out that he wasn't, so they had no choice but to wait. Neither Zoro nor Luffy were very comfortable there. Zoro just did not like hospitals that much, and Luffy was a nervous wreck because of Ace. He just wanted some kind of confirmation, but no one was able to give it to him. He wouldn't know anything until the doctor finished up, and he wasn't sure when that would be.

He tried to distract himself by looking through all of the different magazines in the waiting room, but none of them were all that interesting to him. Eventually he threw the magazine he was looking at down and slumped in his chair, which was very uncomfortable by the way. They had only been there for about fifteen minutes and he was already bored of waiting. He looked over at Zoro next to him, and he seemed to be asleep. How he could sleep in one of these chairs was beyond him.

Since Zoro was sleeping, that meant he wasn't doing anything interesting, so Luffy directed his attention to Shanks. The man's interest was captured by one of those boring magazines. Luffy didn't like those. "How long do we have to wait?" He asked.

Shanks didn't look up from the magazine. "Can't say. We could be here for hours."

"Hours?.! It can take that long? I wish they would tell us _something_."

"We haven't been here long, Luffy. Here," Shanks dipped into his pants pocket, retrieving his cell phone from inside. "play some games on that. Just don't touch anything else."

Luffy took the phone from Shanks. He'd never really used one of these that often. He also didn't know they had games on them. Finding those would be an adventure that was for sure. It took him about ten minutes to actually find the games, and even though there were only a few, they were enough to occupy his time for quite a bit.

The room was silent besides Zoro's breathing, the sound of Luffy's fingers pressing buttons, and the occasional flip of the magazine page. They seemed to be the only ones in the room for the most part. Luffy had kicked his shoes off on the floor, and had his legs curled underneath him in the chair. He didn't know how long he had been playing with Shanks' phone because he was so absorbed in the games. He guessed it was good so that he wouldn't be thinking too much about other things. He vaguely realized how cold the hospital actually was until he felt goosebumps on his arms. He absently rubbed at his arm, trying to warm it up. He hadn't realized it, but the whole time he was sitting there, he had been inching closer to Zoro every now and again. It could have been from the cold, he wasn't sure and he didn't care. Zoro was warm and his shoulder proved to be an excellent pillow while he continued to play games on Shank's phone.

The longer time ticked by, the more bored he found himself becoming with the games. There were only a couple and he'd played each one numerous times. You could play a game for a certain amount of time before it got really repetitive and boring. They had to have been there for an hour or so by the time he felt himself growing tired. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. If he fell asleep, he may miss it if the doctor came out, and that couldn't happen. But, there was nothing else to do, and with the phone still gripped in his hand, Luffy found himself slowly slipping off into sleep, his head cushion by Zoro's shoulder.

It wasn't long before Shanks realized that it was quieter than usual, and he glanced over at Luffy, curious about why he was being so quiet. The boy had fallen asleep on Zoro, his cell phone clutched tightly in one hand, and Zoro seemed to have moved closer to Luffy. The sight was more adorable than anything. Shanks returned to the magazine he was looking through. It wasn't the most entertaining thing ever, but there was nothing else to do, and one of them had to be awake in case the doctor came out.

Shanks had finished looking through that magazine and two others before he heard a door opening. He looked up to see a doctor walking out. Because they were the only three in the waiting room, he immediately walked over to them. Shanks sat the magazine aside and stood up. "I assume you're here to see Portgas D. Ace?" The doctor asked.

"We are."

The doctor briefly glanced over at Zoro and Luffy, then back to Shanks. "Are any of you blood relatives?"

"No, but that one," Shanks pointed to Luffy. "is his brother through adoption. He's the closest family Ace has. Us two are just close friends."

At the sound of voices, Zoro found himself being roused from his nap. He hadn't noticed Luffy was leaning on him until it was too late and he ended up jostling the other awake by moving. Luffy shifted and blinked a few times, rubbing the sleep from his eyes after. He looked sleepily from Zoro to Shanks and the doctor who seemed to have not noticed that they were awake. Once he realized that the man _was _a doctor, he jumped from his chair. Zoro stood up as well. "Is Ace okay?" Luffy immediately asked the doctor.

The doctor's face showed that he didn't have the best news ever, which made Luffy feel uneasy. "He sustained many injuries, including multiple broken bones, sprains, and fractures. The surgeries were successful, but we faced many complications during them. There was internal bleeding and his lungs collapsed twice." As the doctor ran through a simple list, Luffy's eyes widened at what he was saying. Shanks wasn't kidding about Ace's injuries. "The accident caused major damage internally, and he's suffered a bad concussion. He'll spend the next week or so in ICU, and the good news is that he has a high probability of surviving, but-"

"But what?" Luffy interrupted. He definitely did not like what this doctor was telling him. "What else is wrong?"

"The concussion and because his lungs collapsed twice, they've both seemed to have caused him to fall into a comatose state. And, there's no way we'll know when he'll wake up."

Out of everything the doctor had said that one thing was what hit Luffy, as well as Shanks and Zoro, the hardest. Luffy may have not been the brightest teenager around, but even he knew what it meant to be in a comatose state. That bit of news shocked him into a state where he couldn't hear what else the doctor was saying. Whatever he was telling Shanks couldn't be any worse than that.

Luffy honestly wasn't sure how to feel. Comas were very serious. A person could be in one for days or years. It was a scary thought thinking that Ace could be gone for that long. What was he supposed to do if that happened? This truly had to be the worst day of his life.

Zoro frowned when Luffy went eerily quiet after the doctor said that. He was showing no response to it at all, other than he had to be terribly shocked by the news. "Luffy?" He waved a hand in front of the younger's face, but Luffy didn't even blink. "Hey, snap out of it." Zoro snapped his fingers a few times, but that still didn't warrant a response. He settled for shaking Luffy instead. The longer he continued to shake Luffy by the shoulders, the quicker Luffy was able to snap out of his thoughts. He blinked a couple times at Zoro.

The doctor's words went through his head again, allowing him to fully process the information once more. This time it hit him harder and he felt his mouth go dry. His legs shook slightly and before he realized it, they gave out from underneath of him. Zoro managed to catch Luffy before he hit the floor. Luffy grabbed the front of the older teen's shirt. This could not be happening to him. It was extremely upsetting. He didn't know if he could keep his emotions in control this time around. Zoro wasn't going to try to stop Luffy this time. This kind of news was shattering. If Luffy got upset over it, which he would, he had every right to be upset. He had every right to cry, scream, whatever. "Z-zoro." The green haired teen held onto Luffy's waist tight, so the other wouldn't end up falling. He used one arm to hold Luffy to him and his other hand to move the hair from Luffy's face. Luffy seemed to be too shocked to even cry over such a thing. "Ace i-is…"

"I know." What was he supposed to say to Luffy right now? He honestly wasn't entirely sure.

"What am I going to do?" Luffy asked quietly, his voice slightly muffled by Zoro's shirt. The older teen looked over at Shanks and the doctor who were both giving them concerned looks, Shanks more so than the doctor, of course.

Zoro rubbed Luffy's back, remembering how that made the younger feel better the last time he did it. "I don't know, Luffy." He replied honestly. He really had no idea what the younger was supposed to do at this point. He could feel when Luffy's body began to tremble the slightest bit. A small sob broke the silence in the room, and Zoro could only continue to hold onto the younger teen as he broke down again, his shock dissolving into the cruel realization of what this really meant.


	15. XV: Visiting Ace

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

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><p>"When will we get to see him?" Shanks asked the doctor. The sound of Luffy sobbing was heartbreaking. Despite not showing it on the outside, Shanks was feeling similar emotions inside. This news was horrible, and it was understandable that Luffy would react like this. He'd tried to prepare himself for news of this nature, and that was most likely why he could keep his emotions in check. The one thing that Luffy wanted more than anything was to see his brother. The doctor could at least grant them that much. Even if he and Zoro couldn't see Ace for some reason, Luffy should have the right to. If they were allowed, all the better, because he knew that he wanted to see Ace as well.<p>

"I can have that arranged shortly. I'll send a nurse out when we're ready for you. All three of you are visiting?"

"If that's okay."

"We usually only allow two visitors in at once, but I can see that this situation is a bit different than most, so it should be. I have to go back, but I'll make sure that a nurse will be sent soon."

Shanks thanked the doctor and he retreated back the way he'd come. So, they were back to waiting once more. At least this time they knew what was going on. Shanks looked over at Zoro and Luffy, who was releasing all of his emotions on Zoro. He could tell that Zoro still happened to be holding Luffy up. If he let go, there was no doubt that Luffy wouldn't be able to stand. It would be best if the kid sat down. He approached the two teens, and placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Luffy, you should sit down."

The younger shook his head against Zoro's chest. "N-no!" His voice cracked at his weak exclamation, and he proceeded to wrap his arms all the way around Zoro, not wanting to let go.

Shanks looked to Zoro, who looked back, and then glanced down to the teen attached to him. Zoro agreed with Shanks. Luffy should sit down. It could a bit longer before they got to see Ace. If Luffy wouldn't listen to Shanks, maybe he'd listen to him. Luffy's hold on him wasn't tight, so he was able to move himself down, that way he could see the other's face. Luffy lifted his head and sniffled a few times. Zoro rested his free hand on the boy's side, caressing him as he spoke. "You sure you don't want to sit down while we wait? I know you're upset about what happens now, but you want to see Ace, right?" Luffy nodded. "Then, you should do that first, and everything else can be taken care of later. So, let's go sit down while we wait to see him. Okay?" Luffy hesitated before biting his lip and nodding once more.

Zoro helped Luffy over to their seat, and Shanks sat back down, retrieving his cell phone from Luffy's chair. To say he was exhausted would be an understatement. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and locating Ace, as well as hearing all of this news was beginning to take its toll on him. But, this was just the beginning. The next few days, and even weeks, wouldn't be much better.

Luffy was very comfortable holding onto Zoro. He did not want to let go. Having Zoro close made him feel a lot better. So, when Zoro did in fact reach their seats, he found that Luffy was not going to let go of him. He wasn't going to question it either because Luffy was already going through so much at the moment, that it didn't matter compared to everything else. If Luffy felt content to hold onto him, who was he to make the younger get off? He didn't exactly mind the extra weight, and Luffy wasn't all that heavy in the first place. Aside from that, the hospital chairs were big enough for the two of them to sit in without feeling extremely uncomfortable. Zoro glanced down at Luffy who was cuddled against his chest. Yeah, he wasn't letting go.

He managed to pull Luffy down with him in the chair, allowing the other to sit comfortably on his legs. The position was slightly awkward for him, considering he'd never been in a position like this, but he dealt with it. And, oddly enough, it didn't feel that bad when it was Luffy who was lying against him. He felt right being able to provide the comfort he needed, and being the one person that Luffy could seek comfort in at a time like this. Luffy was currently rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, sniffling every now and again. It looked like he was attempting to stop crying, but some tears were still coming out, no matter how much he tried to make them go away. Zoro didn't blame Luffy for being upset. He was disheartened by the news too, but Ace was nowhere near as close to him as he is to Luffy obviously. Was there anything else he could do to help make those tears stop?

The sight alone of Luffy struggling to get control over his emotions, and trying his hardest to stop crying, but failing to do so, tugged at his heart. Luffy looked so helpless and vulnerable. He was just so sad and upset, that he couldn't do anything for himself. Zoro frowned. He had an idea about why this was happening to him and the reason as to why he felt this way at times for Luffy. The realization had hit a bit hard and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

The reason why seeing Luffy like this tore him apart had to do with them being close friends, but he'd figured out that it also had to do with something more. Something that he'd never felt for anyone else in his whole life. The feeling was similar to how he felt around Kuina when they were younger, but this time it was stronger than that, so he assumed it couldn't exactly be the same as back then. His feelings got the best of him and that was why he had to leave class with Luffy. He knew that something bad would happen and he wanted to be there for Luffy when whatever that was happened.

It had happened, and this is where they were. It was obvious that Shanks' attempts at consoling Luffy wouldn't work quite as well. He did not fully understand why since Luffy had known the older man much longer, but that was the case. Luffy preferred to stay with Zoro at all times, and Zoro honestly didn't mind that. This was why he was here. Luffy needed lots of comfort and he was all too ready to give the boy anything he needed to make him feel better. That's why he didn't care that Luffy was sitting on him, resting against his chest. That's why he was perfectly fine with rubbing Luffy's back and caressing him in places that would make him lighten up and feel better. Consoling him with comforting words, running his fingers through Luffy's hair, all that kind of stuff. Luffy was the only person he had done these things to. The only person Zoro cared about this much.

The reason why he didn't like to see Luffy upset and crying, why he'd pushed Luffy back in that dressing room at the mall because he didn't want others to see the younger like that, why he kept having those random moments when he'd found Luffy to look cute, he definitely knew the reason why he'd done those kinds of things and felt those feelings. It took longer than he would have liked to realize it, but he couldn't say he was angry about it or anything. He just wasn't sure if he should say anything about it, especially to Luffy. He knew now that wouldn't be a good idea, but would telling him later after all of this was over be a bad idea? In his mind, it sounded like it, but he really would like to tell Luffy. Just to get it off his chest and out of his head. He wouldn't expect Luffy to feel anything of the sort back, but he'd feel better if Luffy at least knew.

Springing something like that on him at this moment was a very bad idea indeed, so he would settle for simply being there for Luffy since the boy clearly showed that he needed him around. He also wouldn't mind having some more time to think about things completely before making the decision on whether he should tell or not, so waiting would be the best option at the moment.

Because he'd accepted it for what it was, and he'd liked Luffy so much as a friend anyway that it didn't necessarily bother him, he wasn't all that flustered having the boy resting on him like this. He figured it had to do with the serious situation and all, that there wasn't time for him to feel embarrassed about having Luffy on him. It felt good in a way. Knowing that Luffy was this dependant on him. Never once had he known someone who chose to depend on him more than anyone else when they were feeling this down.

Luffy made a small hiccup sound that jogged him out of his thoughts. If Luffy didn't quit crying like that, it wouldn't be long before he found it hard to breathe, which would not be good. Luffy needed to calm down and control his sobbing. Zoro rubbed up and down Luffy's back again, pulling the other closer while he was at it. "Luffy, calm yourself. It's hard, but sobbing like that isn't good. You won't be able to breathe."

That hiccupping noise that kept forcing itself out was starting to hurt his throat, but no matter how much Luffy tried to stop, he just couldn't. Ace was his brother; he was everything to him aside from his friends. Ace has been with him for ten years, he couldn't believe something like this could happen, and he really couldn't bear to lose him. The doctor had said that he had a higher chance of surviving now, but what if Ace never woke up from that coma? Everything was hitting him at once and it was too soon to know if Ace would be all right. He knew Zoro was right and he desperately wanted to stop crying, especially because of the horrible headache it was causing, but it was hard to control.

After a few minutes, Zoro's comforting was beginning to help him let up on the sobbing. His breath hitched here and there and his head throbbed from the headache he had. Luffy leaned closer to Zoro, where it was warm and soft. He regretted removing his shoes because he never did put socks on that morning and his feet were freezing. He absently rubbed them against each other to make the cold go away.

Zoro noticed what Luffy was doing, and he just knew it was because he was cold. Hospitals never were very warm and even his arms were feeling cold from the temperature, but he could ignore it. A person's feet were always more sensitive to colder temperatures as well. He could probably do something about that while they waited. Feet didn't gross him out, and Luffy's feet were far from gross. Nothing about Luffy was gross, in his opinion, so without saying anything, he lifted Luffy's legs that were dangling over his own off to the side, over the arm of the chair. Luffy didn't react to the movement. He had his eyes closed from the burning in them and his headache.

Luffy flinched slightly when he felt a warm hand touch one of his feet. His feet really were freezing. Zoro wasn't surprised by how cold they were. Since Luffy had managed to quiet his sobs, Zoro moved his other hand from his back. Luffy scrunched his face at the pain in his head. Headaches were the sole reason why he hated crying. "What's wrong?" Zoro asked when he saw Luffy's discomfort.

"Head hurts." Luffy mumbled. Talking strained his all ready sore throat and caused his headache to worsen, so he tried to speak as quietly as he could, but loud enough so Zoro could hear him.

Zoro brushed Luffy's bangs away as he placed his free hand against Luffy's forehead and slowly moved it, hoping to relieve some of the pain by doing so. Luffy was able to relax considerably because of Zoro's ministrations. The pain in his head was slowly working on going down the longer Zoro continued to rub it. He was beginning to feel tired again from the crying and how relaxed Zoro was making him feel.

Eventually, Zoro's actions were able to make the throbbing go down to a dull pain, which was something Luffy could tolerate much better. He cracked his eyes open, noticing how Zoro seemed to still be rubbing his feet to make them warm. Then, he noticed Shanks sitting two seats away and he wished for the man to be a little closer to them, but he looked to be preoccupied with typing on his cell phone. His eyes traveled to his and Zoro's bags sitting on the floor next to the chair they were in. His hat was in his bag, he remembered stuffing it in there this morning when he was in a hurry to get ready. If he could reach it, he'd love to have it right now. Just thinking about it made him want to hold it again. His hat always made him feel better when he had it. He reached an arm out to see how far he could reach, just in case his arm was long enough, but it wasn't. Their bags were all the way by his feet on the other side of the chair.

The older teen understood why Luffy was reaching out for his bag. He knew that was where he kept his hat, and that would be the only important thing Luffy would want to have out of his bag. "Do you want your hat?" He asked, just to be sure.

Luffy nodded. Zoro temporarily stopped his ministrations on Luffy's feet to unzip the boy's bag and retrieve the straw hat. He put the hat on Luffy's head and resumed making sure that Luffy's feet didn't go cold again. Luffy held onto the sides of the hat, feeling the familiar rough texture of the straw between his fingers. He moved his hands to his lap and rested his head against Zoro's shoulder, his hat slipping. He wasn't worried if it came off, because the string attached would prevent it from falling to the floor. He closed his eyes, trying not to think about the things that had made him upset before. He couldn't wait to finally see Ace. Hopefully the nurse would be out soon.

He didn't know what he was supposed to expect when he got to see Ace, but it couldn't be good. That was what worried him. Preparing himself for something like that after just learning of Ace's injuries wasn't going to happen. It was taking everything he had not to get upset over it. He sniffled a few more times, fighting away the tears that wanted to come out. Hadn't he cried enough? If he started all over again, his head would hurt worse and his eyes would burn.

Zoro sensed that Luffy was trying to keep himself from breaking down over Ace. He wanted to help stop that immediately if he could. Luffy had worn himself out this much, he didn't need a repeat. He grabbed Luffy's hand, absently caressing his fingers and the palm of his hand. The feeling of Zoro's fingers moving over his own helped to distract him from his thoughts, which prevented him from getting upset like before. Luffy was very thankful that Zoro knew how to calm him down and keep him from thinking a lot. More than anything, Zoro was making him want to fall asleep right there on his shoulder. Luffy was exhausted and the longer Zoro continued to touch him, the harder it became to fight off the sleep that wanted to consume him. The warmth that radiated from Zoro's body only served to make him want to go to sleep even more. It didn't take long before he ended up falling asleep without realizing it.

When Luffy's breathing evened out and his body became still, Zoro figured that the younger had fallen asleep on him. Not that he cared. It was good that he was sleeping, because then at least he wouldn't be crying. They didn't know how much longer it would be until a nurse was sent either. Even though Luffy was sleeping, Zoro still kept his feet warm and caressed the boy's fingers. Doing so felt right and he just did not want to stop. He liked touching Luffy. The boy's skin was so soft and warm.

Zoro caught Luffy's shoes out of his peripheral vision. They were in a small pile on the floor in front of Luffy's seat. He reached his leg out and pushed them closer to his chair with his foot. When they were close enough, he carefully reached over Luffy to grab them up from the floor. He placed one in the chair next to him, and then worked on getting the other on the right foot. Once he had that one on, he put Luffy's other shoe on the boy. His feet wouldn't be cold anymore, and he should have them on anyway.

Not too much longer after he'd put Luffy's shoes on did a woman, who was obviously a nurse, approach them. Shanks stood up to talk to her when she asked if they were the ones there to visit Ace. Zoro looked down at Luffy. He didn't want to wake him up. After all of that crying, he was probably feeling exhausted, and sleep would feel great, but Luffy did want to see Ace. "Luffy?" Zoro whispered the boy's name, and placed a hand under Luffy's chine, tilting his face to see him. The small movement caused the straw hat to fall from his head. Luffy didn't even budge. He must have been really tired.

"Don't worry about waking him up." A voice said from in front of the two. Zoro averted his attention to Shanks. "If you want, just carry him."

"Is it okay to let him sleep when he wants to see his brother?"

Shanks picked up Zoro and Luffy's bags, since Zoro had his arms full. "Luffy will have plenty of time to see Ace. He won't be leaving that soon. I won't be surprised if Luffy stays overnight."

Zoro looked back at the sleeping boy. If Luffy was staying, he was too. At some point he'd have to call into work. He knew that he wouldn't be going in today. He tucked an arm underneath Luffy's legs, and supported his back with the other as he carefully stood up, making sure he didn't wake Luffy while doing so. While he followed Shanks and the nurse, he kept a decent pace so that he wouldn't end up causing Luffy to wake up.

Luffy remained asleep the whole way there. The nurse let them inside of Ace's room, telling them that if

they needed anything, they could call using the nurses' button. Zoro hadn't thought about what to expect once they got to see Ace, but this was definitely not what he was ready for. He guessed it was a good thing Luffy was sleeping. There were machines, tubes, and wires everywhere. One look showed that Ace was banged up pretty bad. Zoro could see that Ace's left leg was propped up higher than his right, and a closer look revealed the small indication of what looked like a cast where the blanket over his body did not cover that area completely.

There were multiple chairs in the room, so Zoro settled for finding the most comfortable one to sit down in with Luffy. The one he chose blocked his view of the IV sticking in Ace's arm. He was thankful for that considering the sight made him feel a bit queasy, to be honest. He didn't much like the constant beeping of the heart monitor either, but that wasn't something he could do anything about. It wasn't that it was annoying, the sound simply made him feel uneasy.

Shanks placed their bags somewhere out of the way. This was a sight that he did not ever want to see. He approached the bed, taking it all in. There were oxygen tubes in Ace's nose, and various wires coming out from beneath the hospital gown that they'd put him in. His face was bruised here and there, a small set of stitches rested above his right eye, and his skin tone was noticeably paler than usual. His left arm rested beside him with the IV in it and his right was in an arm sling, most probably because of a fractured bone. Shanks readjusted the blanket on Ace a bit where it looked to be slipping away.

Ace was in a horrible state physically. He probably wasn't much better internally either. Zoro took in what he could see, from where he was sitting with Luffy, of Ace's injuries as well. This was the same guy, Luffy's older brother, who he'd talked to just days ago. And, to think that they'd finally started getting to know each other more. But, that was beside the point. Ace appeared to be sleeping in a way. His face showed no signs that he was in pain. Aside from the small cuts and bruises, he held a relatively relaxed expression.

Zoro felt a tug at his shirt and looked down to Luffy. The younger had grabbed a part of the fabric in his sleep. Zoro wondered exactly how bad Luffy would take it to see Ace in such a state. He didn't want any more tears, that was for sure. Maybe seeing Ace would actually help Luffy. The boy had spent all this time worrying about Ace and just wanting to see him, so perhaps once he did, he wouldn't feel the need to get as upset like before. They wouldn't know until Luffy woke up. Shanks was correct in letting Luffy sleep, he supposed. He'd need all the sleep he could get, because from here on out, Zoro wasn't sure if Luffy would have the best sleep. Situations like this usually caused things like that.

As long as Luffy was sleeping, Zoro decided that he may as well try the same. He situated Luffy, very carefully, in a way so that Luffy was sitting up a little more and resting against him. This way was more comfortable. It was much like the same way he held Luffy back in the waiting room, except Luffy's legs dangled over the side of his own instead of the arm of the chair. He found it a lot easier to hold Luffy in this position. It would also prevent Luffy from falling off of him in case he succeeded in falling asleep. As odd as it was, the sounds of the heart monitor helped lull him into sleep instead of bothering him like before. It only took a few minutes for him to completely doze off.

* * *

><p>While Zoro and Luffy slept, Shanks continued looking over Ace from what he could see. He knew that this was going to change a lot. Luffy needed his brother. He depended on Ace to be there for everything. For school, a place to live, their only source of income, food, all of that. If Ace wasn't – and he wasn't – going to be able to provide those things, then Luffy wouldn't have anything at home to go back to. At this rate, if Ace didn't come out of that coma soon, Luffy was not going to be able to live in that apartment by himself. Shanks would have to take care of that, medical expenses, deal with the insurance on Ace's totaled car, and so much more. He had to make sure that Luffy would be okay financially first off. That was most important.<p>

Shanks had lost track of time after sitting next to Ace's bed, thinking over everything that was to happen now, and what he was supposed to do about it all. He looked from Ace to the two teens in the room, who had been sleeping for quite some time, and pulled out his cell phone. Shanks stood and worked on dialing a number as he made his way outside of the hospital room. He had a couple calls that needed to be made, starting off with a person that he wasn't exactly in the mood to be talking to right now, but they did deserve to know about Ace's condition. Then, he'd have to try and contact Ace's work, because he needed to know what was going to happen there. Ace had a high risk of losing his job over this. If there was any way he could prevent that, he definitely wanted to. Shanks sighed as he leaned against the wall outside of the room, listening to the phone ring. This was not something he wanted to do.

* * *

><p>Luffy pulled himself closer to the warmth that was near him. Whatever he was lying on, it was really comfortable. He could feel that his hands were holding onto some kind of fabric, and he used that to help snuggle even more into whatever it was that was so warm. He was just about to return to his wonderful nap, when his ears caught what sounded to be some kind of beeping noise. It wasn't very loud, but it was constant.<p>

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was that he was holding on to someone's shirt; the buttons on the shirt indicated that much. He peered up, immediately spotting Zoro's sleeping face. One look down was enough for him to know that he had been sleeping on Zoro. That was right. They were in the waiting room and he'd been so exhausted from crying, so he'd fallen asleep on accident when Zoro was working on making him feel better. But, this wasn't the waiting room, it didn't look the same.

Luffy turned his head away from Zoro to the other side of the room, and his eyes widened when he acknowledged exactly where he was. Shanks was nowhere in the room, that was something he vaguely noticed. Overall, he was completely focused on Ace's form in the hospital bed. He wasted no time in pushing himself off of Zoro and going over to Ace's side. Luffy didn't pay much attention to the injuries or the machines as much as the fact that his brother was finally right here in front of him and alive.

So many emotions hit him at once. He was surprised by the extent of Ace's injuries, yet he was overcome with a sense of relief and some happiness at seeing Ace. He also felt saddened by the state in which Ace was in too. Most of all, he simply wanted to touch the older. He wanted to so bad. Out of everything, he mostly wanted to hug him, but he could see that he couldn't do something like that. And, he was scared to touch Ace because he didn't want to hurt him by accidentally hitting an injury or pulling something out.

He bit his lip from the emotions and the strong desire taking over him to touch Ace. Luffy bent down closer and brushed some of Ace's hair, being mindful of any injuries, especially of the stitches. At least he didn't look to be in pain, but Luffy didn't like how much paler Ace looked, and it was still too early to know if Ace would be completely all right. Despite that he probably wasn't supposed to, Luffy couldn't help the strong urge of wanting to hug his brother. He leaned down further and placed an arm against Ace's pillow, on the other side of him and above his shoulder to steady his weight. Ace's neck seemed to be free of any injuries, so Luffy tucked his face in the crook of the elder's neck. It probably couldn't be considered a hug, but it was the best he could achieve in this position.

It felt great to finally be able to see and touch Ace after all of this. "Ace..." He mumbled the other's name against his neck, not wanting to let go. He was actually afraid to let go, more than anything. Luffy glanced down to make sure he hadn't nudged Ace's arm when he leaned over. In this state, Luffy found that Ace was so delicate. If he made the slightest wrong move, he could jostle Ace's injured arm or accidentally tug on a wire. This was why he was scared of touching Ace in the first place, but now he was terrified to let go. Ace was here and alive right now, in this very moment with him, and he didn't want to lose that.

Zoro was roused from his little nap shortly after Luffy got off of him. He could feel all of Luffy's weight missing from his lap. That caused him to immediately open his eyes to detect where the younger had gone. Luffy was only a few feet away. He could see that the other was leaning over Ace, and figured that whatever he was doing had good intentions, but was not safe. He got up and came up behind Luffy, pulling on his shoulder lightly. "Luffy, come on. You have to be careful around him." He hated to tear Luffy from his brother, but Ace had serious injuries.

In the back of his mind, Luffy knew Zoro was right and that he shouldn't try to touch Ace anymore than necessary, but it was tough to pull away. Luffy sniffled and close his eyes to stop any tears that wanted to emerge. "I don't w-want to leave h-him." He murmured into Ace's neck.

Zoro couldn't forcefully pull Luffy away, because that would be too dangerous, so he settled for lightly pulling on his arm. "You don't have to leave him, but you shouldn't get that close." That was true, and even though it was hard for him, Luffy slowly lifted himself away from Ace. Zoro tugged Luffy back by the arm and pushed him into the chair beside Ace's bed where Shanks had once sat. "I know you don't like it, but staying right here is what's best for Ace in that condition. It's okay to get a little closer every now and again, but just sit here for now."

Zoro kept his hands on Luffy's shoulders while the boy looked over Ace again. Being so close, yet having to stay at a specific distance from Ace was hard for Luffy. Just looking at him wasn't enough. They were on Ace's left side, and his uninjured arm was what was closest to Luffy. He wanted to reach out and at least hold Ace's hand if he could, but he feared that Zoro would scold him for doing so. He turned his head and looked up at Zoro standing behind him. "I-Is it okay to touch his hand?" He asked, desperately hoping it would be.

It was such a simple and small question, and Zoro didn't think it would hurt. The look Luffy was giving him wasn't helping him in saying no either, so he nodded. Luffy looked back to Ace, hesitantly reaching out to take Ace's hand in his own two. Zoro watched as Luffy held his brother's hand between his smaller ones carefully, keeping an eye on the IV in that arm. It was silent for a few minutes with Luffy watching while he lightly rubbed Ace's hand with his fingers, and Zoro simply watching Luffy, before the younger broke the silence. "Zoro?"

"Hm?" He mumbled back, absently focusing on the movement of Luffy's fingers.

"Do you think Ace will get better?"

What a question to spring on him. Zoro blinked and frowned. Did he think Ace would get better? He didn't know what to think. It was all too soon to tell anything. "I can't say. All we can do is to wait and see."

Luffy didn't say anything in response for a brief moment. "I think that Ace is strong and he won't give up. Ace won't leave me alone."

That confidence of Luffy's was something that Zoro really loved about that boy. Even when his brother was on the verge of dying, Luffy still managed to keep that confidence. He had so much confidence in himself and the others around him. Aside from that, what caught Zoro's attention the most was Luffy's last sentence. If reality took a horrible turn for the worst, Luffy still didn't realize that he would never be alone. Not when he has such great friends to stand beside him.

Especially not when he had Zoro around. Zoro was a hundred percent certain about that much.


	16. XVI: No More Tears

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

* * *

><p>It was a few hours later and Luffy remained by Ace's side. He still had a firm hold on the elder's hand, but he seemed to have fallen asleep once again. This time, he was sleeping in the chair, but was hunched over, with his head resting comfortably on the edge of Ace's bed. That's the third time Luffy had fallen asleep; the kid was extremely exhausted, and probably bored from just sitting for over an hour.<p>

Zoro reached into his pocket, and when he didn't feel anything, he checked his other one, only to pull out his keys. He needed his cell phone to call into work, but where was it? He got up and walked over to his bag and shuffled through it. He proceeded to pull everything out when he didn't see it, but apparently it wasn't in his bag either. Zoro sighed. He'd probably left it at home this morning. He glanced over at Luffy. Shanks never had returned to the room. Zoro had realized that man wasn't there about an hour ago and kind of wondered where he disappeared to. Luffy would be okay for a few minutes while he left to find a phone. He didn't understand why this room didn't have a phone, but he could probably use one at the front desk or something.

He glanced one more time at Luffy before going to the door and walking outside of the room. He'd never been to this hospital much, so he hoped he would be able to find a phone somewhere. Zoro was about to walk on down the hallway, but he suddenly stopped and blinked before he could get that far. So, that's where Shanks had gone. Zoro wasn't sure what to do. The man was sitting in the floor with his back against the wall, sleeping. He had both legs pulled up and his arms rested on his knees, one hand clutching onto his cell phone.

This was not what Zoro had expected to find. He assumed that maybe Shanks had gone down to the cafeteria or left for something. The man hadn't shown many signs of feeling worn out, but it was obvious how exhausted he must be. Zoro crouched down in front of the red-haired man. He barely knew him and that was enough to make him not want to wake the other, but Shanks couldn't continue to sleep in the hallway like this. Even if he felt awkward for waking a man he'd only met twice, Zoro went ahead and tried. He couldn't walk away from him after finding him asleep here. If Shanks was that tired, he could wake him, so the man could at least go and lie down in one of those large, comfy chairs in the next waiting room or in a chair in Ace's room.

Zoro reached out and shook Shanks shoulder a few times. "Oi. Wake up." After a few more shakes, a little rougher than the first couple, Shanks finally came to. "You fell asleep." Zoro stated, standing to his full height.

Shanks blinked up at the teen and chuckled. "I guess I did." He pushed himself up off of the ground, holding his phone in front of him. "Oops. I hope no one called why I was sleeping." Shanks checked to see if he had any missed calls. Since Zoro had accomplished that task, he now had to continue on with his original one. He started to walk away, but Shanks' voice stopped him. "Where are you headed?"

Zoro glanced at Shanks over his shoulder. "To find a phone." He replied simply.

"Use mine." Zoro turned around fully and Shanks tossed the device to him. "I'll be with Luffy." Shanks smiled at Zoro before slipping into Ace's room. Zoro looked down at the cell phone for a few seconds, trying to recall the number for his work. When he did, he dialed it, moving to lean against the wall while he waited for an answer.

* * *

><p>Shanks walked back into Ace's room. When he saw Luffy sleeping, he approached the boy, feeling one of Luffy's arms. He was very cold. Shanks didn't know how Luffy could sleep when he felt this cold. He glanced around the room for something he could use to cover Luffy. There was nothing form what he could see. Looks like he'll be going on a little scavenger hunt. Shanks set to opening any drawers and cabinets he could find. He eventually found a small pile of sheets in a black, metal cabinet.<p>

He retrieved the top one and wandered back over to Luffy, covering the boy up as best he could with it. Luffy sure was sleeping a lot, but that was understandable. Hospitals tended to be excruciatingly boring and slow. Even he had fallen asleep, and in the hallway of all places. He'd actually just finished up talking to a friend of Ace's at work about his accident and such. After that, he kind of just decided to sit down for a bit and ended up falling asleep on accident.

Luffy didn't move at all when he placed the sheet around him. Shanks absently wondered if that position Luffy was sleeping in would feel very comfortable. The kid wasn't even letting go of Ace in his sleep. He had both hands holding onto Ace's with his face resting right next their hands. Shanks supposed it didn't matter where or when he slept, as long as he did get some sleep.

He really needed to figure out what was going to happen from here on out. Luffy obviously could not stay in that apartment alone, there was just no way. Shanks would be all for Luffy staying with him, but he would only be able to do so for a few days. Luffy needed to get back into school as soon as possible and he lived too far from the school. Maybe Luffy could stay in the apartment and he could stop by each week or something. There were so many things he had to figure out and do. He all ready knew that Luffy would be staying overnight, so he'd need to go to Ace and Luffy's apartment to get some things for the boy, and if Zoro didn't want to stay, he'd have to take him either back to his car at the school or to his own home.

While he was at it, he should probably raid Ace's room for his insurance papers on the car and find out what he could do about that too. Ace would need a car once he was back on his feet. Yes, because he would be. Ace had to pull through this. Shanks did not doubt Ace's recovery for a second. He fully believed that Ace would come out of this okay. And, because of that, he felt it was his job to make sure that everything was taken care of. Luffy would be first priority, and then he'd worry about things like the car, and medical bills, and all of those kinds of things. He had quite a list to go through. Maybe he should start to write this stuff down. Actually, that didn't sound like a bad idea.

Shanks went over to where Luffy and Zoro's bags were and grabbed Luffy's, sitting down in the nearest chair with it. He unzipped the bag and pulled out one of Luffy's notebooks. Then, he felt around inside for something to write with. His hand glided over what felt like a metallic object and he grabbed it. When he pulled it out, he realized that it was a key. It must be the key to the brothers' apartment. He shoved the key in his pocket and returned to searching for what he was initially looking for. Once he found a pencil, he placed Luffy's bag on the floor and began writing out everything that needed to be done. He was doing this so he wouldn't forget and because he wanted to be prepared. Ace could be in that coma for quite a while, and all of these things needed to be addressed. He seemed like the only person that would be able to take care of most of them.

Shanks began the top of his list with the most important things, and worked his way down as he thought about more:

_A place for Luffy to stay_

_Getting Luffy's things_

_Getting Luffy back in school_

_Transportation for Luffy_

_Medical expenses (talk to Garp about that)_

_Ace and Luffy's Rent_

_Ace's Bills_

_Car insurance_

_Ace's job (call back about that)_

_Talk Garp out of taking Luffy when he brings it up (because he surely will)_

_Extend work schedule (the only way to make enough money for all of this)_

_Stock up on lots of alcohol (that's a necessity) _

_Get drunk _

That last one sounded pretty good right about now, but he had other things to worry about and he was in a hospital, so it could wait until some other time. Was there anything else he needed to write down while he was at it? He couldn't exactly think of anything, so he left it at that. Just as he was sitting the notebook aside, Zoro walked into the room. The teen handed him his cell phone. "Thanks for letting me use it."

"Are you staying with Luffy tonight?" Shanks asked. He needed to know if he was going to have to take Zoro with him later.

Zoro looked to said sleeping boy. He didn't have to go into work today and it wouldn't hurt to stay. They did have school tomorrow, but tomorrow was Friday and he could afford to miss a day of school. He didn't have work tomorrow either, so it worked ou. "Yeah. I'll stay."

Shanks glanced at the list he'd just made. _A place for Luffy to stay. _If he couldn't provide Luffy somewhere to live for the time being and he didn't want Luffy staying by himself, maybe he could… It was worth a shot. The worst that would happen is he wouldn't receive the response he wanted, and then he'd have to figure something else out for Luffy, but if he helped out, then maybe this would work. "Zoro, can I ask you something important?"

Zoro turned to Shanks. He opened his mouth to respond-

"Excuse me."

Both Shanks and Zoro turned their attention to the nurse who had walked into the room. She glanced briefly at Luffy, but mostly focused on Shanks. "Yes?" Shanks asked. He wasn't bothered at all that the nurse had interrupted them.

"I hate to interrupt, but there's a man waiting outside in the nearest waiting room. We could not allow him to come here, and he's requested that someone come out to talk to him."

"I'll do it." Shanks responded with a smile at the nurse, standing from the chair. "If you'd show me to him, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course." Shanks followed the nurse out of the room.

Zoro watched them leave, and then looked back to Luffy. Shanks must have covered him with that sheet, which was a good idea. Why hadn't he thought of that? There must have just been so much happening that it hadn't occurred to him at the time. Zoro noticed the notebook lying on the small table next to the chair that Shanks had occupied. He picked it up, looking over it in curiosity. Was this a list of things that Shanks planned to do? There were quite a lot of things here and most of them looked to cost a fortune. He put the notebook back down and approached Luffy's sleeping form once again.

He had checked on Luffy numerous times since the younger fell asleep. The boy hadn't moved much, but he still liked to check on him every once in a while. Luffy hadn't cried like he had in the waiting room since then, which was good. Zoro was glad for that. It seemed that seeing Ace made Luffy calm down considerably. The older teen reached down and ran his fingers through Luffy's dark hair. This poor boy. Luffy was strong and Zoro knew that he would get through this rough spot, but he couldn't help but hate that Luffy had to deal with so much. He wanted Luffy to smile and be happy again. All of these tears and crying himself into a state where he was literally so exhausted that he couldn't keep himself awake any longer was heartbreaking. It really did show how much Luffy loved and cared about his brother.

* * *

><p>The nurse led Shanks into the waiting room. She pointed across the room to a blond-haired man who was occupying himself by looking through one of the magazines available. He looked bored overall. Shanks had never seen this man before. Shanks started to approach the man, and when the other guy noticed him, he put down the magazine and stood. "I heard that this is the hospital that Ace is in."<p>

Shanks nodded. This man's voice sounded oddly familiar. "How do you know Ace?" He asked, curious about this guy.

"My name's Marco and I work with Ace. He's also a friend."

Now, Shanks knew who this was. This was the guy he'd talked to when he called Ace's work. They had only talked briefly, but that would be why his voice sounded familiar. "Oh, you answered when I called his work. I remember now. Are you here to see Ace?"

Marco shook his head. "No. I do want to see him, but now's not the best time. I came to talk about his job." It looked like Shanks would be receiving an answer about that sooner than he expected. If Ace was going to lose his job, that would be understandable, but not good. He needed a place to work to care for Luffy and himself once this whole thing was over. "As long as Ace makes it out of this soon, then his job will be waiting for him."

That was good news. He could cross one thing off of his list. "You do know about the coma, right? How soon is soon? What I mean is, how long can his job wait?"

"I managed a few months. About three."

If Ace woke before then, he'd still have his job, but if not, then he wouldn't. The important part was that there was a chance, and that was better than losing his job all together. Shanks decided not to ask about how Marco managed something like this. It wasn't particularly important to him. "That's good to hear. Are you sure you don't want to visit while you're here? Ace is right around the corner."

"Maybe another time. I don't need to see him as long as I know how he's doing."

Shanks didn't want to bother or pressure the guy by saying any more about visiting Ace. He had an idea why Marco chose not to. Because that was a big reason as to why Marco came by – he'd also done so for confirmation on Ace's condition – the man didn't stay after that. Shanks considered his options on what to do now. He could go back to Ace's room, but what then? Luffy was still asleep probably and Zoro was with him, so they were fine.

What did sound like a good idea was going to find the cafeteria for some food. Luffy would be hungry when he woke up, and Shanks didn't know if Zoro was hungry or what he liked to eat, but he could grab something anyway. So, he took off in search of the cafeteria. They didn't have the best food, but it was something to eat.

* * *

><p>Luffy woke up because of the soreness in his back. Falling asleep in that position was not a great idea. Even though his back hurt, he didn't move right away. He simply blinked and stared at Ace's hand. It was nice to be near Ace like this. If he could, he would stay with Ace for as long as Ace was in the hospital, but something in the back of his mind told him that wouldn't be possible. It saddened him to know that he'd eventually have to leave Ace's side. As of this moment though, he planned on staying in this very spot until he was not allowed to any longer.<p>

He lifted his head from the side of the bed, and looked at Ace's face. His back popped as he moved into an upright position. The sheet that was on him slipped off his shoulders. He hadn't even realized that was there. Luffy looked around the room. He spotted Zoro sitting comfortably in one of the chairs doing some work that he assumed had to be from school. He couldn't believe how much Zoro had been there for him through this.

Luffy had not asked the older teen to do any of that stuff, like leaving school, comforting him, staying with him when he knew that he could always ask Shanks if he wanted to leave. Yet, Zoro had done that and so much more. He didn't quite understand why Zoro did do those things, but he was grateful that Zoro was sticking beside him. It not only showed that Zoro cared about him, but that he also cared about Ace, and Luffy felt happy to know that Zoro liked Ace.

The younger was curious about why Zoro was still here. Did he feel obligated to stay for some reason? Because if he wanted to leave, he could. As long as Shanks remained here with him, Luffy would be fine. He appreciated that Zoro hadn't left yet, but he didn't want Zoro to feel like he had to stay if he didn't want to. "Zoro?"

Zoro turned his attention from his school work to Luffy. "What is it?" He'd heard Luffy moving around before the other spoke to him, so he'd known that Luffy was awake.

Luffy looked to where he was holding Ace's hand and absently played with his brother's fingers. "Why have you stayed this long? At the hospital, I mean."

That wasn't what Zoro expected Luffy to say, but Luffy seemed to be doing that quite a bit lately, springing random questions on him. The answer to that was obvious to Zoro. He stayed because he wanted to make sure Luffy would be okay. Did Luffy not want him there? "What brought that on?"

"I'm just wondering. You've been so nice and helped me a lot." Luffy chose not to look at Zoro as he talked. "I appreciate that, but if you want to go home, you can."

Zoro knew why Luffy was talking about this now. He thought that Zoro hadn't left because he felt he had to be here. Luffy probably thought he was unhappy staying at the hospital. He actually wasn't. It was a bit boring, but he'd already called into work and there wasn't much else to do at home. Sitting here with Luffy was perfectly okay with him. "Well, I…" Why was it hard for him to tell Luffy that he was here because he cared and he was worried about the boy? "I want to stay here. With you. Because…"

Hearing Zoro struggle to give him an answer made Luffy look over at the older teen. He could see that Zoro was paying more attention to the floor than him, so therefore he probably didn't notice that Luffy was staring at him. Zoro paused and frowned. It wasn't like he didn't want to say it, the words just would not come out of his mouth. Luffy blinked at Zoro's behavior. "Because?" He asked, trying to urge Zoro to finish his sentence.

Zoro looked up from the floor to Luffy. "I've stayed and I did all of those things when you were upset, because it… it bothers me to see you like that, and I knew that something bad happened, so I just wanted to… I wanted to at least make sure you would be okay and…" Zoro paused again, unsure of what else to say.

Luffy didn't exactly know what to say either. Zoro didn't like to see him upset? And, he wanted to make sure he would be okay. Zoro never did reveal what he was thinking or what he was feeling unless it was something like anger, so hearing Zoro speak about such things was something Luffy wasn't expecting to get in response of his question. Knowing that Zoro could tell him those things and that he cared made Luffy feel better. He was happy and slightly embarrassed. Zoro had never admitted anything like that to him before.

The older teen scowled. This was embarrassing. This was why he never told anyone how he felt. "I just… I hate it when you cry and when you're upset. But, I hate it even more if I can't do anything about it, so I tried, even though I've never done those things to someone before." There, he'd pretty much said what he wanted to. Except Luffy wasn't saying anything in response. Zoro felt quite awkward now. He wasn't very good at admitting how he felt to people, especially to Luffy.

"Do you… really mean that?" The mere fact that this was _Zoro _telling him this is why Luffy felt he needed confirmation. He believed everything Zoro told him, especially during a moment like this. He guessed he just wanted to be reassured that what Zoro said was true and he wasn't hearing things or dreaming.

Zoro glanced back to his school work. "Of course I do, idiot. Would I be here otherwise?"

Luffy smiled, which was something that he found he hadn't done a lot of today. "I guess not. It means a lot that you said that, you know?"

Zoro could just feel his face heating up. Why did he get flustered over these things? "As long as it makes you happy." Zoro didn't look directly at Luffy, but he could see that the other was finally smiling again. "And keeps that goofy smile on your face." He added afterwards. He'd much rather see Luffy smiling than looking down.

Zoro's last comment only made Luffy grin wider, and he even let out a small laugh. "Then, I'll try not to cry, for myself and for Zoro."

"Luffy, it's fine to cry-"

"I don't like it and if Zoro doesn't either, then I'll try my hardest to think about better things. Like when Ace recovers and wakes up!"

Zoro understood where Luffy was coming from, but if he wanted to cry or get upset, then he should. Bottling up those tears won't help anything. "Bottling those things up isn't good, Luffy. If you want to cry and can't hold it back, don't worry about how I feel."

Luffy looked from Zoro to Ace. "Ace wouldn't want me to cry over him. Remember how you told me that? You were right, so no more tears."

"I'll allow that if, and only if, you promise me something."

"Promise?" Luffy looked at Zoro curiously.

Zoro nodded. "I'll agree to no crying, but if you ever become really overwhelmed or upset, promise me that no matter how I feel about it, that you'll let your emotions out. Even if I'm right there in front of you. Don't hold back anything you feel you can't, because that's not healthy. Don't worry about what I think."

"But, I always worry about what Zoro thinks." Luffy didn't think when that sentence came out, but it was true.

Zoro didn't know how to respond to that. "You do…? Nevermind about that, just promise me, okay?"

"What Zoro thinks is important. And, if you want me to promise, then I will."

The older teen was about to respond, but the sight of Shanks entering the room stopped him. Shanks grinned when he noticed Luffy. "You're awake. I brought some food from the cafeteria." Shanks placed a few bags on the table beside Zoro. "I don't know if we can eat in here, but no one said anything to me about it. Why don't you come over here, Luffy?"

Luffy looked uncertain. Shanks and Zoro weren't that far away, but he'd much prefer to stay where he was. Zoro sat his work aside. He was starving, having not eating much today. When Luffy didn't move from his spot, Zoro fixed him with a stern look. "Luffy, I _know _you haven't had a bite to eat today. Come over here."

"Zoro's right. You need to eat, and Ace isn't going anywhere." Shanks said as he removed the small styrofoam boxes of different foods he'd picked up.

Luffy still looked hesitant. "I know that, but-"

Zoro interrupted him. "Just come over here for a few minutes and eat something."

Shanks sat down beside Zoro. "Come on." He motioned Luffy over with his hand. "Bring your chair over."

Luffy considered it for a few more seconds. He really was hungry. It wouldn't hurt to leave Ace's side for five minutes. He let go of Ace's hand and made sure to gently push his arm a little closer to his body, being extremely careful of the IV. He did as Shanks told him and brought his chair over to the other two. Luffy watched as Shanks opened some of the containers, his stomach beginning to growl at the sight of the food. He didn't care that it was hospital food. He was hungry and just wanted something to eat.

* * *

><p>After he finished eating, Luffy returned back to his original spot, Zoro went back to his school work, and Shanks cleaned up, throwing away the now empty bags and containers. About twenty minutes after they ate, a nurse entered the room to check on Ace. When she finished making sure everything was okay, she walked over to Shanks. "I see that you've all been here for quite some time. Are you planning to stay overnight?"<p>

"Are you still staying, Zoro?" He asked the teen next to him. Zoro nodded in response, but did not avert his attention from his notebook. "I guess we are."

"In that case, you'll need to contact the desk outside of this hallway. We cannot allow visitors to stay in the same room as a patient in ICU though, so you'll have to stay in one of our waiting rooms. There are specific ones for overnight visitors."

Luffy had heard the nurse talking to Shanks and he didn't like the idea of having to be that far away from Ace, but those were the hospital's rules and he had to abide by them. "I'll be sure to do that then." Shanks replied, and he thanked the nurse before she exited the room. Shortly after the nurse left, Shanks got up. "I'll be back soon." He announced, walking out of the room as well.

The room was bathed in silence for a couple minutes. Zoro found Luffy's silence strange and looked at the boy, wondering why he was being so quiet. Luffy's expression showed that he was feeling disappointed. "Something wrong?" He asked the other, worriedly.

"I don't want to leave Ace's room." Luffy replied.

Of course. Now, Zoro could see what was making Luffy disappointed. He knew he'd have to sleep in the waiting room tonight when he wanted to stay with Ace. That would be hard for Luffy to do. "It'll be fine. I know you don't want to leave, but he'll be all right overnight."

"I know. It's just kind of hard to leave him."

Zoro checked the clock, noting the time. Visiting hours ended at nine, so he assumed that was when they would no longer be allowed to stick around in Ace's room. "There are still a couple hours left."

Luffy didn't say anything else, wanting to spend as much time as he could with Ace before he'd have to leave him. Shanks didn't return to the room for quite a while. When he did, he came back with the passes they needed so they could stay at the hospital overnight. He gave Zoro and Luffy theirs. "You two will be fine here for an hour or so, won't you?"

Both Zoro and Luffy gave Shanks confused looks. "Are you going somewhere?" Luffy asked.

Shanks pulled Luffy's key from his pocket. "I thought I'd stop at your apartment to grab some things. If you need stuff from your apartment, you can come with, Zoro."

"I don't need anything." Zoro honestly didn't need anything at all. It'd be nice to have his phone that he knew he'd left at his apartment, but he didn't need it. Besides, he didn't want to leave Luffy here by himself.

"I'm going to go ahead and go, so I can be back before it gets too late. If it takes longer than an hour and I'm not back until later, don't worry about it. I may have to stop at some places." Luffy nodded and Shanks left the two once again.

Zoro and Luffy spent the next few hours not doing too much. The older teen managed to finish all of his school work and Luffy had taken to slipping his shoes off, getting more comfortable in his seat. He'd stuck his hat back on at one point and wrapped the sheet, he'd found on him when he'd woken up earlier, around his body to stay warm. They'd both ended up talking about random things during that time as well.

Luffy felt his stomach drop when the nurse from before came back. It was beginning to get late in the evening, and he knew he'd have to leave Ace's side soon. She went through the procedure of checking all of the machines and wires and tubes attached to Ace. After all of that, she also fixed the blanket covering Ace. Then, she smiled at Luffy. "He's your brother, right?" Luffy nodded. "You two look very close. I noticed that you haven't left his side all day. I hate to, but like I mentioned earlier, visitors can't stay in the same room over night. I'll give you a few more minutes, but it's getting late and you'll need to move to the waiting room."

Luffy attempted to return her smile with a small one of his own. He wasn't too happy about having to leave. The nurse left and Luffy sighed softly. Zoro gathered their bags and Luffy's shoes. "I'm going to ask for some pillows and blankets. When I get back, we can leave."

"All right." Luffy replied, watching Zoro leave the room with their bags. Zoro was thankful that the desk was right outside of Ace's room because otherwise he feared he'd get himself lost looking for it if it were farther than that. He showed his pass to the woman behind the counter and asked for enough pillows and blankets for all three of them, even though Shanks wasn't back yet. He wasn't worried about that since Shanks had said it could take longer than an hour.

A nurse retrieved the pillows and blankets, and showed him to a vacant waiting room with those chairs that reclined and pulled out into a makeshift bed. Zoro placed their things down, as did the nurse. He thanked her and returned to Ace's room. "You ready?" He asked the younger. Luffy hadn't moved from his spot at all.

Luffy was very hesitant to reply. He really did not want to leave for the night, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. "Yeah." He grabbed the sheet in case he'd need it and lingered by Ace's bed for a few seconds longer.

Zoro put his arm around Luffy's shoulders. "You should probably sleep anyway, so let's go. We'll come back first thing in the morning." Luffy gave one last look at Ace before allowing Zoro to lead him out of the room. The older teen brought them into the small waiting room. He let go of Luffy and worked on making sure the other would have a pillow and blanket to sleep with. After placing those in the chair next to the one he planned on sleeping in, he began figuring out how to turn this chair into a bed.

He pushed on the back of the chair and managed to figure out how to make it go back. Then, after a few minutes, achieved the task of pulling the bottom of the chair out, so that it passed as a temporary bed. So, that was how you did that. Once Luffy did the same, with some help from Zoro, the older teen put the other pillow and blanket in an empty chair for Shanks once he got back.

Luffy snuggled up in the blanket while Zoro turned out the lights in the waiting room. It was actually a pretty small room. Some light still seeped into the room, but it wasn't too bright, so it didn't bother either of them. It felt great to finally lie down at the end of the day, but Luffy found that he couldn't sleep at all. Zoro had lain down as well and the room was relatively quiet.

After quite some time, Luffy couldn't stand not being able to sleep. He wondered if Zoro was asleep by now. When he turned over to face Zoro, he could see that the other had his eyes closed, but that didn't mean he was actually asleep. "Zoro?" He whispered the other teen's name in case he was sleeping.

Zoro cracked an eye open at Luffy. "Hm?"

"I can't sleep."

Zoro was not surprised by that. "You slept a lot earlier. That's probably why."

"Well, yeah…"

Luffy didn't say anything after that. "Is it something else?" He asked, getting the feeling that just because Luffy had fallen asleep earlier, that may not be the whole reason why he couldn't sleep now. The younger nodded. "What is it?"

"Not being with Ace is part of it, I think. I just don't feel right when I can't be with him."

"Ace will be okay. You don't have to worry about him."

"It's not like I want to." Luffy unintentionally pulled the blanket around his body tighter from the cold. "I get scared when I'm not close to him."

Zoro noticed that Luffy seemed to be curling deeper into the blanket. He'd admit that it was pretty cold. "Are you sacred now?"

"A little."

"You mean a lot?" Zoro corrected.

Luffy smiled sheepishly. "Yeah." It was quiet for a few seconds after that before Luffy spoke again. "It's freezing in here."

Zoro knew Luffy had to be cold, it was very obvious. "It is cold…" An idea came to Zoro, and he couldn't even believe that he'd thought it, but it didn't sound all that bad. He moved back, close to the edge of the bed, and inspected the space left behind. Zoro considered it. Was he really going to go through with this? One glance at Luffy told him that, yes, he was. "Luffy." The younger looked at Zoro curiously as he held out his arms a bit. Was Zoro insinuating what he thought he was? Zoro moved his fingers in a motion for Luffy to come closer. "C'mere."

He wasn't completely sure why he was doing this, but Zoro figured it had more to do with the just fact that Luffy was cold. He didn't question it. He only acted on what he knew he wanted, which was for Luffy to get up and come over to him. Luffy grabbed his pillow and blanket. He pushed himself out of his bed and moved to Zoro's. Zoro wasn't that far away, so he only had to take a couple steps to reach him. He felt his face get warm when Zoro tugged on his arm and pulled him down.

These beds were obviously not made for two people to lie in, so they were both very close to each other. Zoro pulled Luffy's blanket over the boy, and brought him closer to himself. So close in fact that Luffy was pressed right up against him. He didn't mind because it was Luffy and the other's body heat was working on warming him up as well.

Luffy felt embarrassed at being so close to Zoro, but after a while, he began to not mind their position. Zoro was very warm too, so he wasn't freezing like before. Zoro had an arm placed around Luffy, while the younger tucked his head under Zoro's chin, comfortably. The longer he laid there with Zoro, the sleepier he found himself becoming.

Zoro hoped that along with warming Luffy up, that maybe he'd be able to fall asleep like this. He found not too much longer that it did indeed succeed in causing Luffy to finally sleep. Even though Zoro was feeling extremely tired himself, he didn't want to go to sleep just yet. He wanted to be able to enjoy lying like this with Luffy some more. Eventually, he couldn't fight off sleep any longer and gave in to it, allowing himself to fall asleep, holding onto Luffy.

* * *

><p>Shanks sighed as he entered the hospital. He'd left the clothes and things he brought for Luffy in his car because he didn't see the point in carrying it in. When he found his way back to the ICU, he showed his pass to a nurse and she showed him to the waiting room. He knew it was too late and that Zoro and Luffy must have already been asleep.<p>

He wasn't surprised when he did find them both asleep, but he hadn't expected to find them asleep, curled up next to each other. Well, more like Zoro was holding Luffy to him and Luffy was curled up to Zoro. He watched the two sleeping teenagers for several seconds before smiling to himself and quietly preparing his own bed for the night. Those two teens really were something else. He was simply happy that Luffy had found someone like Zoro to have around, and that Zoro cared for Luffy so much.

If anyone could help Luffy through this tough time, it was Zoro. He was the only person Luffy allowed himself to depend on this much at the current time. Which reminded him; he still needed to talk to Zoro tomorrow.


	17. XVII: I'm Sorry

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: I have the feeling that you all will enjoy this chapter. If I begin to slow down on updates, it's because school has started once again. But, at least I'm finally a senior!

* * *

><p>Zoro stared out of the window in Ace's room. From what he could see, it held a pretty nice view of one of the parking lots. Other than that, there wasn't much else to look at, but it was something to do. It would be nice to have a change of clothes though. He was still stuck in his school uniform, and he wouldn't complain aloud, but it was a tad annoying not having a shower.<p>

Since Shanks had brought some clothes for Luffy, as well as other necessities last night, he'd managed to get Luffy to change into more comfortable clothes before they could see Ace again that morning. Shanks also grabbed Luffy's favorite sandals, and the younger was happy to finally be able to wear them instead of those sneakers. He'd also thrown on a pair of shorts and a tank top. Said teen was currently seated in his usual spot beside Ace's bed.

The older teen knew that at some point today he was going to have to stop by his apartment for a shower and clothes or something. Perhaps Shanks wouldn't mind taking him home to do that, or the man could take him to get his car, and he'd be good from there. He'd have to talk to Shanks and see what he wanted to do about it.

Zoro looked across the parking lot lazily, idly watching random people walk into the building. They had only been at the hospital for a little over a day, yet it felt like forever. That was most probably because hospitals tended feel slow, and there wasn't anything to do but sit around. Because of that, he'd decided to lean against the window sill and simply watch outside. It was a nice day overall.

He stared for a while longer, and just when he was going to figure out something else to do instead of just standing around, a specific person caught his eye. They were pretty easy to spot, even from the window he was looking from, because of their height and build. Zoro wouldn't forget someone like that, especially after what happened the very first time Luffy invited him to his apartment. He'd forgotten the man's name, but he had no doubts that that person was Luffy's grandfather.

It was obvious why he was here, but after that last incident, Zoro wasn't so sure if this visit would turn out good. Actually, he wasn't sure, he _knew_ it wouldn't be good. Should he do something about it before anything turned bad? There was the chance that he was only here to visit Ace, but Zoro couldn't be too sure about that.

Zoro looked to Luffy who was watching Ace. He definitely should do something. Luffy shouldn't have to go through what he did the last time he saw his grandfather with Ace in such a condition. But, what _could _he do? Maybe he could mention it to Shanks. The problem with that was he didn't know where Shanks was. The man left a while ago, saying he needed to make a couple phone calls, and since then, Zoro hadn't seen him anywhere. Well, he could always go look for him and hope he didn't get lost on the way.

He headed for the door, not bothering to say anything to Luffy about it. Knowing Luffy, he would insist on that nothing was going to happen and that they could just stay here. He may not know Luffy's grandfather as well as Luffy does obviously, but he knew enough not to trust the man ever again. Zoro walked out of the room and rounded the nearest corner, only to almost walk straight into the person he was looking for. That was perfect timing.

"Oh, Zoro. Were you going somewhere?" Shanks asked, pocketing his cell phone that he had been holding on to.

"I think we have a problem." Zoro told the other blankly.

Shanks blinked. "Problem? What's wrong now?"

"Luffy's grandfather's here."

"Already?" Shanks sighed. "I was hoping he wouldn't even show." Zoro didn't say anything as Shanks thought about this predicament. "I'll handle him. He might want to see Ace, so why don't you get Luffy to go with you to the cafeteria? He hasn't eaten much today."

"That's easier said than done." Zoro muttered. How was he to get Luffy to leave Ace's side? "I'll work on it."

Shanks grinned. "I'll come to get you two after he leaves."

Zoro nodded and went back to Luffy, while Shanks turned around, walking back the way he had just come from. Perhaps calling Garp and telling him about Ace's accident wasn't such a good idea. But, he felt he had to considering he was the only other family Ace had besides Luffy. Aside from that, the man was sure to find out at some point. It would be best to just go ahead and tell him, that was why he'd called him in the first place. He hadn't considered the possibility that Garp would show up only a day later. This would be just like him. Shanks would not be surprised if Garp used Ace's condition as an excuse to take Luffy back with him. And, he would not let that happen. Not after Luffy had made such great friends and just gotten used to living in a new city. Especially not after the whole Zoro situation.

Garp was the last person on earth who he wanted to see right now. He'd spent all day making phone calls to different places, sometimes getting stuck on the phone for over an hour. He was so not going to catch any kind of break soon at this rate. He also had to break the news to Luffy that the younger could not continue to stay at the hospital like this. Tonight, he was going to attempt to bring Luffy to his own apartment. It may be an hour away, but what other choice did he have? Luffy needed to get away for the weekend, because he had to go back to school Monday. Shanks could not let Luffy miss anymore school than he had to.

Despite the fact that they didn't know how long Ace would be in that coma, the doctor had told them that Ace would most likely be out of the ICU in a few weeks at the most if he woke up by then. From there, even though it would take a while, his injuries would start to heal considerably. If Ace made it through the next week okay, then they wouldn't have much to worry about other than when he'd wake up. This meant that there would be no reason for Luffy to continuously miss school every day just to be at the hospital. Shanks didn't care if Luffy wanted to come by after school, but no more staying overnight on school days and such.

He hated to have to tell Luffy something like that, but not doing so could cause quite a bit of trouble. So, he figured that he'd let Luffy spend the rest of the day at the hospital until visiting hours were over, and then they'd go back to his place or Luffy's. He didn't mind which. If Luffy wanted to stay at home, he'd stay with him over the weekend, but if he didn't mind going to Shanks' apartment, that would work too. But, he had to deal with Luffy's situation of where he was going to live by Monday. If he didn't figure that out soon, he'd end up having to make hour trips back and forth from his place to Luffy's school each day, and that wasn't something he wanted to have to do. He was already going to be tight on money, that paying for enough gas to take Luffy to school and pick him up would not help his financial situation at all.

If it came down to it and that was his only choice, he'd have no choice but to resort to that, and even though it would break him more so than he already was financially, he'd do it simply because it was for Luffy and the kid needed an education no matter the situation. This was just going to make his life so much more complicated and his days extremely difficult if that happened. He needed to start figuring things out as soon as possible, and once he dealt with Garp, he could focus on those matters.

Speaking of Garp, Shanks had finally reached the main lobby and could spot the man talking to a woman behind the desk. He approached him and hoped to whoever was listening that Zoro managed to get Luffy to leave Ace for a little while. Boy, this was going to be something else; he could just feel it.

* * *

><p>Zoro felt like he had an impossible task ahead of him. He had to get Luffy to willingly agree to go to the cafeteria with him. If he failed in doing so, dragging the boy out forcefully would not blow over well. He also had to achieve this without letting Luffy know that his grandfather was currently in the building. The only way he figured he could attempt it is by continuously pestering Luffy to go with him, and hopefully the other would say yes. If he didn't, then there was a high chance that they were screwed.<p>

He walked back into the room, and Luffy glanced at him curiously, probably wondering why he'd left like that without saying anything, and why he was suddenly back right after. "Where'd you go?" He asked the older teen.

Zoro grunted. "Nowhere important. Hey, are you hungry?" He so hoped he could talk Luffy into leaving Ace for a little bit.

Luffy made a worried face and looked to Ace. "Not really." He replied, trying to make himself sound believable to Zoro. Truthfully, he was starving. The last time he ate was the day before and even then he didn't eat very much, but he wanted to stay here. Food was not as important as Ace.

The elder frowned. Luffy wasn't a very good liar. And, even if he was, Zoro would still call bullshit on that considering he knew that Luffy hadn't eaten much the past day, nor had he had a bite to eat today. Luffy was starving himself acting like this. No matter what, he needed to eat something, and not just a few bites either like yesterday. He needed to eat a full meal, or more than that when you added in Luffy's inhumane eating habits. The mere fact that Luffy was refusing food was enough alone to tell him that Luffy was spending an unhealthy amount of time in this hospital. Maybe it would be a good idea to take Luffy home for a while after today.

"Don't lie to me, Luffy. You aren't eating right when you clearly need to, so why don't you let me take you to the cafeteria for some food?"

Luffy bit his lip as he stared at his brother. His stomach had been bothering him all day and that offer was extremely tempting. He just did not want to leave Ace if he didn't have to. Yes, he planned on sitting there as long as the doctors let him, which they had no problem with letting him stay for a long period of time, but he felt like leaving wouldn't be a good idea. In his mind, at least. His bodily state was in far better condition than Ace's. It wasn't like skipping a few meals would kill him. He couldn't make himself accept Zoro's offer. "I want to stay here. But, you can go if you're hungry."

Zoro knew that this would be tough. He needed to persuade more. "If you go with me, you can eat as much as you want and whatever you want."

Luffy attempted a small smile. "That's okay. I'll eat some other time."

The other developed that stern tone he used when speaking to someone who he expected to do what he wanted them to. "You need to eat now."

"But, I feel fine-"

"Stop making excuses, Luffy."

Luffy scowled at Zoro. "I'm not-"

"You are." Zoro approached Luffy. "I _know _that you hate to leave Ace, but that doesn't mean you can stop eating. You've been sitting here for hours. It's not good for you."

Luffy's scowl deepened. "And what if I am making excuses? I don't care! Why should I worry about myself when Ace is like this?.! I can't worry about myself! I just don't care. Whether I eat or not isn't important."

This was beginning to get more difficult. Luffy was being stupid, again. Zoro understood why Luffy felt this way, but he wasn't making anything better by neglecting to take care of himself. "Worry about yourself because you're important! You might not care, but I do, and I'm trying to take care of you, but you're making this more difficult than it has to be! You can sit around and worry about others, but when we try to help you, you won't let us. Damn it, Luffy, I _understand _why you haven't left that spot, but that doesn't mean you can start not caring about yourself anymore! That's not going to change anything and it's not going to make Ace better! He wouldn't allow you to do this to yourself, so why are you doing it?.!"

Luffy couldn't look at Zoro because he knew the other was right. Still, Zoro wasn't the one who had almost lost his brother. He didn't know how Luffy was feeling right now. That was how Luffy saw it anyway. "You say those things, but it's not like you know what I'm feeling right now!"

Zoro almost glared. How dare Luffy say something like that to him. Luffy knew nothing of his past and during that time when he was younger. He'd actually lost his only friend at that time and ever since then, he hadn't had any true real friends until Luffy came along. He pinched the bridge of his nose. First off, he needed to get a hold of himself and calm down before he lashed out at Luffy on accident. Secondly, he needed to get it through Luffy's thick head that it was not going to hurt him to get up and leave Ace for twenty god damn minutes to eat.

This wasn't even about him trying to get Luffy to leave because of Garp anymore. That guy could walk in right now and he wouldn't care. He'd just come to the full realization of the effects of Luffy staying here for so long. Now, he was worried about Luffy and wanted to ensure that the kid got something to eat so he wouldn't be starving himself, and that was backfiring because this whole situation had somehow made him lose his patience with the younger. He wasn't getting anywhere.

Once Zoro felt he had succeeded in calming himself, he decided to try talking to Luffy again. "Look, believe it or not, I do know how you feel, so that's not going to work on me, but you need to see that I'm only doing this for your own good. I don't want to see you like this and neither does red-hair. In fact, if you hadn't been sitting here this entire time, you'd _see _exactly how much that man has been doing for you! This isn't easy for him either. Do you know everything he's had to do up until this point and everything else that is sitting on his shoulders? Luffy, I might not be doing a good job, but Shanks is doing everything he possibly can and you say you don't care. That's not exactly fair, you know."

Actually, now that Zoro mentioned it, Shanks seemed to not be around as often. He was constantly leaving the room, saying he needed to make phone calls, and he even went out of his way to get Luffy's things last night. Luffy didn't even know what time Shanks returned to the hospital last night. He hadn't stopped to think of everything that needed to be addressed since Ace was in this coma. Shanks had to be thinking about every single little thing and trying to fix it all by himself. That really wasn't fair. And, while Shanks was busy doing this and Zoro was concerned about him, he'd just been sitting around uncaring of anything but Ace. That wasn't right. He was beginning to feel guilty. Luffy thought back, and realized that during the entire time they had been here, he'd only seen Shanks a couple times, and during those times, Shanks hadn't stayed around long.

If only Shanks were here right now, he'd so apologize to the older man. And, thank him for doing so much. Zoro glanced over at the spot where Shanks had left that notebook yesterday. It had not been touched since he picked it up and was still laying there. He walked over to it and retrieved it from the table. Wordlessly, he returned to Luffy's side and held it out. Luffy blinked and stared at it, confused. "What's this?"

Zoro pushed the notebook forward and Luffy grabbed it. "I assume just a small list of what Shanks feels he needs to do. I would have laughed at the last two on that list if I didn't know he's probably serious about that. Look at this and try to put yourself in Shanks' place right now." Luffy silently read over the list. Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. "How do you think he's going to pay for all of that? It's obvious he has no choice but to, because who else can?"

Luffy stared at the page blankly. He had no idea Shanks had taken it upon himself to do all of these things. And, none of them were cheap. Shanks was looking at using a huge chunk of his own hard earned money to pay for all of these things. His name was mentioned on here a few times too. Luffy couldn't think of a single way to pay Shanks back for all of this. Nothing he could say to the older man would ever be enough, and God knows he had no money either. Zoro officially succeeded in making him feel like utter crap. He felt horrible. "Where is Shanks?" Luffy lifted his gaze from the notebook to Zoro.

"Taking care of something. He wanted me to make sure you got something to eat."

Luffy put the notebook aside and stood. "Can we go eat now?"

So, he actually was able to get something into that head of Luffy's. "Come on." Zoro grabbed Luffy's hand and began leading him out of the room. "We'll get something to eat and you can have whatever you want. Then, we'll come back, but you have to promise that you'll eat more."

Luffy stared at their hands as he followed behind Zoro, his face heating up at the contact. He'd never held hands like this with Zoro before. It felt nice and he enjoyed it a lot. It made him want to hold Zoro's hand more often, but that didn't seem possible. The only way that could happen is if Zoro liked him back enough to want to hold his hand, and Zoro clearly did not feel the same about him. Honestly, up until this moment, Luffy had not done much thinking about his feelings for Zoro.

As he focused more on Zoro's hand and how it felt holding onto his own, he began to get that nervous feeling in his stomach like before. It felt like those butterflies people talked about getting when they were around the person they really liked or loved. Luffy suddenly found himself wishing that Zoro knew of his feelings. That was something that hadn't happened before. Usually he didn't want Zoro to know because he wanted to stay friends in case Zoro didn't like him back, but now, he simply had this urge. Along the way, there were a couple times when he wanted to open his mouth and just say _something_. Each time, he never even got to the point of opening his mouth before he chickened out.

He had quite a bit of time to decide on it as well considering they had been walking for a while now. He'd never been to the cafeteria, but did it take this long to get there? Luffy chose to watch the ground as they walked, so when Zoro stopped moving, he didn't notice until he actually bumped into the older teen. He took a few steps back and peered around Zoro.

Zoro could curse himself. Why did he have the feeling this was going to happen? There were even signs and he still managed to get them lost in the hospital somewhere. This was why he didn't like going to places he wasn't familiar with. Every time this happened to him. He looked around at their surroundings and scratched the back of his head. Right. He didn't recall seeing this part of the hospital. Ever. Perhaps he just took a wrong turn along the way. Or a couple. "Damn it."

Luffy had heard Zoro and he peered around as well. This looked unfamiliar. Where were they? "Zoro? Are we lost?"

Zoro turned on Luffy. "We're not lost! I just took a wrong turn. That's all."

The younger blinked and his eyes narrowed in realization. "How'd you get us lost when there are signs?"

"I told you we're not lost!"

Luffy looked around again. "If we walk around some more, we could find it. Or just get more lost."

Zoro tugged Luffy forward. "I'll find it. It's probably right around the corner or something."

Luffy didn't say anything and let Zoro lead them once more. He should know better, but oddly he didn't mind it. If he was lost, better it be with Zoro than anyone else. While Zoro worked on locating the cafeteria, Luffy went back to his thoughts about said teen. It felt so right to have Zoro holding his hand. He gripped Zoro's hand back lightly, and when he did he could feel Zoro's muscles tense a bit. The older slowed down his pace too. Luffy looked up at what he could see of the other's face. Zoro's gaze was directed in front of him, but he looked off about something.

Crap. Zoro tried not to focus too much on the fact that he was still holding onto Luffy's hand. He was so caught up in looking for the cafeteria that he forgot, and that little squeeze he felt reminded him. A part of him wanted to let go, but he couldn't just rip his hand away from Luffy's. The kid didn't seem to mind it and he didn't want to offend him or something by doing that. Zoro swallowed nervously. He quite liked holding Luffy's hand, but he felt awkward about it. The more he tried not to think about it, the harder it became not to and he could feel every slight movement Luffy made with his fingers. When Luffy flexed his fingers the tiniest bit, he'd notice it.

Because he was concentrating on that more than actually finding their way to the cafeteria, he only succeeded in leading them somewhere else that they didn't know. He stopped, sighed, and turned to face Luffy. The other stopped, blinked, and stared up at Zoro innocently. Oh God, that face. Maybe he shouldn't have turned around. That expression was just too adorable. Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Zoro?"

Zoro watched Luffy mouth his name. Those lips… he kind of wanted to, but… no, he couldn't. What was he thinking? Luffy was his friend and that was all. Yes, they happened to be holding hands, but in a friendly manner. He thought. It had to be because they were only friends! He needed to get his head out of the gutter and learn to ignore these things. But, now that he thought about it, Luffy probably never had been kissed before. And, he wasn't sure why that made the urge stronger. If he didn't look away from Luffy soon, nothing good was going to come from this. Luffy's fingers moved and Zoro tried to pull his hand back in surprise. That detail slipped his mind once again.

Luffy let go when Zoro pulled his arm back. He hadn't expected that and now he felt disappointed that the warmth was gone. He was also confused about why Zoro reacted that way randomly. Zoro did not like this situation. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. He thought about what he could say to get out of it. Hurriedly, he turned around and started walking in their original direction. "Let's keep looking."

"Wait, Zoro." Luffy didn't move from his spot. Zoro tensed and stopped walking, yet he did not turn to face Luffy. When Zoro didn't say anything, Luffy continued. "Is something wrong?"

Zoro slowly turned to see Luffy more. "No, everything's fine."

"But," Luffy looked down at his feet. "you pulled away. I thought maybe I did something wrong."

Luffy thought it was his fault? This was nowhere near Luffy's fault. Zoro believed this was all on him and the fact that he couldn't keep those kinds of thoughts away. He was the one who had pulled away in the first place and it wasn't because of something Luffy intentionally did, so it wasn't his fault. "Don't worry about it."

The other was tempted to ask Zoro if he'd mind holding his hand once more, but that would sound too weird. He really did miss that though. But, maybe Zoro would say yes if he asked. Surely he'd want to know why if he asked such a thing, and Luffy didn't know if he could explain. The part of him that simply wanted to touch Zoro's hand so badly won over and he found his body reacting on its own when he held his arm out at Zoro. The older teen stared at Luffy's hand, unsure of what he wanted. Luffy moved his fingers. After a few seconds, it finally clicked in Zoro's head and he could feel his face warming up when he realized what Luffy was silently telling him.

Zoro wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to touch Luffy like that again, no matter how much he may want to. He hesitated before stepping closer. As long as he didn't think like that anymore, it shouldn't hurt, but could he keep those thoughts away or would touching Luffy bring them back? Luffy still wanted to hold his hand, and he didn't want to deny him, but what about how he felt? And, obviously Luffy didn't feel anything more than platonic feelings, right? He was utterly stuck on what to do. To turn away and keep walking or to take Luffy's hand and keep walking? The latter sounded more pleasing, but he didn't know if he could.

Luffy took a step closer and wiggled his fingers again. Zoro watched his hand and then Luffy's face. The younger was simply staring at him, waiting patiently for Zoro to do something. He didn't even realize when his hand slowly inched toward Luffy's own until he felt his fingers brush over Luffy's skin. The contact sent a pleasing jolt through his fingers and up his arm. He slid his hand around the underside of Luffy's wrist and raked his fingers across Luffy's turned down palm.

Luffy's hand tingled at the sensation and he cracked a smile at the feeling. "Zoro-"

He was cut off as Zoro locked their fingers and tugged him even closer. That wasn't what he had been expecting. The older teen was giving him a look he had not ever seen on Zoro. He settled for remaining quiet and waiting to see what Zoro planned to do.

Something in the back of Zoro's mind was telling him to pull away, and now, but there was this insanely strong urge overcoming that little thought. He originally planned on not saying anything to Luffy or acting on what he felt until the time was right and he'd had more time to piece his feelings together. It felt like the right time in this position, but he still knew he had some thinking to do, so would going through with this be bad or good?

He was thinking way too much and Luffy was still staring at him like that. If he didn't make some kind of decision and do something, he was going to look like an idiot for just standing there with Luffy like this. Zoro chose to take any negative thoughts and shove them away at the last second. He wrapped his free arm around Luffy's waist and tugged the other so close that when he leaned down, their noses were almost touching.

Luffy's eyes widened a fraction as he pieced together Zoro's actions and the position he was being held in. His thought process shut down when Zoro turned his head and inched closer. "I'm sorry, Luffy." That was the last thing Zoro uttered before he descended down on Luffy slightly parted lips.


	18. XVIII: Nothing To Be Sorry For

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: I really appreciate all of the reviews I'm getting for this story! It makes me feel happy that others actually enjoy my writing. I simply write for the fun of it and constantly try to make myself better, so it means a lot! Anyway, here's the next chapter :)

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><p>Luffy had no idea what to think as Zoro kissed him. He felt like he had to be dreaming. There was no way this could actually be happening. Zoro never showed that he liked him enough to want to kiss him. Either he was extremely oblivious or Zoro was good at hiding things from him. Despite that, the feeling was amazing. He'd never been kissed on the lips before. It felt so different, but he liked it. He was so surprised that he didn't even think to respond back, and the kiss ended just as fast as it had begun.<p>

When Luffy didn't react, Zoro pulled away. It wasn't like he expected Luffy to have a specific reaction; he just hoped it wouldn't be a bad one. Who was he kidding? Luffy would surely hate him for doing that. He was so stupid. This was his entire fault. If he hadn't gotten them lost in the first place, they would have already been to the cafeteria and Luffy would be eating. He hated his no sense of direction for once in his life. But, mostly it was because he was stupid enough to go through with it.

Zoro let go of Luffy and took a step back. If he could, he would have run away by now. Okay, the best thing to do would be to _attempt _to explain his actions to Luffy. "I probably shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, just-"

The younger grinned at Zoro. "Why are you sorry?"

"Well, I…" Zoro glanced away from Luffy. This was harder than anything he'd ever done before. "I mean, that's obviously not what you wanted, and I couldn't help but do it. So, uh, just ignore it, I guess."

That was certainly hard to ignore. Luffy didn't want to ignore it. If Zoro did that, it had to mean something. Why would he ignore it if that was the case? Luffy stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Zoro, resting his head against the other's chest. "Does this mean Zoro likes me?"

Zoro tensed in Luffy's embrace. He wasn't sure if he should hug Luffy back or what. For the most part, he wanted to know what Luffy was thinking after he'd done such a thing. The younger wasn't exactly giving a bad reaction to it, so he couldn't have made a huge mistake. "Why do you ask that?" He managed to ask, looking down at Luffy.

Luffy lifted his head and smiled. "'Cause I like Zoro."

That response wasn't all too clear for Zoro. It could be interpreted in many different ways, and because this was Luffy, he couldn't guess which one he meant. "What do you mean?" He asked, moving his arms around Luffy, so the boy couldn't pull away from him if he suddenly felt like doing so.

"Um," Luffy finally realized that he'd spilled something he had never intended on telling Zoro. It was too late to take it back now. He had to tell Zoro, especially after that kiss. But, he found himself becoming slightly nervous and embarrassed. His face felt hot and he knew he was blushing, so he chose to bury his face in Zoro's shirt. "well, I like Zoro a lot. I like it when Zoro hugs me and touches me. And, I really liked that Zoro kissed me." Luffy could feel his face heating up more after that last comment.

Of all the things Luffy could have said, Zoro wasn't fully ready for that. He'd believed that there wasn't much of a chance between him and Luffy. "You liked it?" Out of everything Luffy just said that was what stuck out to him the most. Luffy nodded against Zoro's chest. Instantly, Zoro felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders. He didn't have to hide this whole thing from Luffy any longer.

"Zoro?" Luffy looked up, red-faced. Zoro couldn't help but smile at the kid's embarrassment.

"What?"

"Can you do that again?" Luffy asked, his embarrassment increasing for asking such a question.

Zoro leaned down closer to Luffy until he was only a hair away from Luffy's lips again. "Anytime you want." He pressed his lips against Luffy's soft ones once more, pleased to feel that this time Luffy was pressing back against him.

Luffy instinctively let his eyes fall closed and pushed himself on his toes a bit, so he could return the kiss. He was slightly surprised when he felt Zoro's tongue swipe across his lip. His hands clenched the fabric of Zoro's shirt as he shyly opened his mouth, turning his head to the side. This was a whole new experience for him. Zoro's tongue suddenly delved into the hot cavern of his mouth. Zoro prodded Luffy's tongue and teeth, and Luffy tried to mimic what Zoro was doing to him. This felt so much more amazing than that dream he'd had.

They continued to explore each other's mouths until Zoro broke the kiss for some air. He rested his forehead against Luffy's and stared into the younger's large eyes. Luffy's breath came out in small huffs as he tried to regain lost air. "How was that?" Zoro asked, smirking.

Luffy stared back at Zoro and grinned. "I definitely want to do that again."

Zoro briefly kissed Luffy on the lips. "We still have to find that cafeteria, now don't we?"

Luffy didn't know if he should be disappointed or happy or both. He settled for pouting slightly. Food sounded good, but he was disappointed that Zoro was going to leave it at that. "But, Zoro tastes better than food." He mumbled, though it was loud enough for Zoro to still hear.

The older teen chuckled. "You have to eat and I think we've been lost long enough. Let's go try to find it." Zoro pulled away, linking his fingers with Luffy's to hold his hand as they tried to find their way to the cafeteria.

Luffy absently swung their hands as they walked. "Zoro never did answer my question."

"And, what's that?"

"Does this mean Zoro likes me?" Luffy asked again.

If Luffy had asked that in a different tone, Zoro may have been embarrassed, but the innocent tone that Luffy used prevented that from happening. He found it to be adorable overall. "If it doesn't, I don't know what else it could mean."

"So, that's a yes?"

"That's a big yes."

Luffy's smile widened. "Really? What does this make us now? I'm confused."

Zoro glanced at Luffy. "What do you want to do? What I mean is how do you feel about this?" Zoro held their conjoined hands up.

Luffy looked at their hands. "I want Zoro all to myself. Is that bad?"

Zoro laughed and shook his head. "That's not bad."

"Then, does Zoro want me all to himself?"

Zoro made a face as if he were thinking about something. "Hm. Do I? I'm not sure. I mean, who would want a Luffy?"

Luffy frowned and smacked Zoro's arm. "That's not fair! And, it's not true! Ace wants me." The younger's frown turned into a pout.

"I'm just kidding. Of course I'd want you all to myself." Zoro was very happy that Luffy seemed to be acting a lot happier than before.

Luffy kept his pout up. "I don't know if I want you anymore."

"You're still holding my hand." Zoro pointed out.

Luffy acknowledged that, but did not let go. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Sure, it doesn't." Zoro remarked sarcastically. He grinned at Luffy. "We're on the same page about this then, right?"

Luffy's pout instantly left his face, preferring to grin widely instead. He nodded enthusiastically. "Mm-hm! Same page!"

They both turned the nearest corner. "Good. Let's find someone to show us where the damn cafeteria is. This is getting annoying."

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><p>Shanks put a smile on his face as he approached Luffy's grandfather. He may not like the man, but he could at least be polite so that things wouldn't turn ugly. "I didn't expect you to be here today, Garp."<p>

The older man turned around to face Shanks, a scowl on his face. Apparently he wasn't too excited to see Shanks either. And to think he'd had the decency to call that man to inform him of Ace. Whatever. It was already done. "It's you. I'm here to see Ace and get Luffy. I don't trust him with you, red-hair."

"You don't trust me, I get it, but Luffy does. I have the feeling he doesn't want to leave with you anyway."

Garp's eyes narrowed and his scowl deepened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what I said, Garp." Shanks' eyes held a mix of emotions. He was stressed and the only way he could deal with Garp was to speak to him in a carefree tone of voice. And, he didn't care what Garp wanted or was thinking. If he wanted to see Ace, that was fine, he wouldn't keep the man from doing so, but Luffy was a whole different matter entirely. "Just face it. Luffy still loves you and all, but he doesn't want to live with you. And, I'm not saying he wants to live with me either. I've got someone to talk to about that actually."

"Who the hell else is there that Luffy can live with? It's obvious that he has to live with me."

Shanks crossed his arms. "Uh-huh. For how long? Because I seem to recall that you didn't want him living with Ace, so if he did in fact move in with you and Ace happened to get out of the hospital, you wouldn't let him go back, would you? I know you, Garp. And, you _think _you know Luffy and what he wants, but you don't. Why don't you ever listen to what Ace tells you?"

"He's my _grandson; _I'm the most obvious choice." Garp growled out.

"You're right about that, but Luffy doesn't want to go. I won't let Luffy leave with you if he doesn't want to and _he _sure as hell won't either. I think you should pay your visit to Ace and then leave."

"Just who the hell are you talking about?.!"

Shanks grinned. "Why, Zoro, of course. You met him? Ace said that you two had a little fall out concerning Luffy not too long ago. Remember him? Green hair, earrings, probably had a murderous look on his face when you hurt Luffy? He's quite taken with our little Luffy, and he would be the first person to disapprove of this."

"That brat's the one you're going to ask to let Luffy live with?.!"

The red haired man shrugged. "I thought about it. He lives close to Luffy's school and I'm sure Luffy wouldn't mind."

"You're the very last person who should be deciding these things."

"I'm the only one who can. Are you going to see Ace or not?"

Garp kept his glare locked in place. "Tell me his room number and I will."

Shanks turned in the direction he'd have to go to get to the ICU. "Why don't you just follow me instead? I'm going there anyway." With that, Shanks walked away. Garp could choose to follow him or turn around and leave, he personally didn't care. It seemed that Garp was going to follow him, despite his hatred for the younger man.

Once Shanks got the okay for Garp to visit Ace, he led the man to Ace's room, choosing to lean against the door frame with his arms crossed while Garp went in the room the rest of the way. The glare that had previously been directed at Shanks disappeared upon seeing Ace. Shanks would dare say that the older man looked slightly worried when he laid eyes on Ace.

"You know, the doctor said there's no way to know when he'll wake up." Shanks stated from the door. "He might be here for a long time."

"What are you hinting?" Garp grunted, choosing not to spare Shanks even a glance.

"Medical bills." Shanks stated simply. "I don't know if Ace has any kind of medical insurance, but even if he does, we can't guarantee it'll cover everything. I know we're not the best of friends, or friends at all for that matter, and that you're retired, but you're the only person I can actually ask."

Garp turned his attention to Shanks. "You didn't think I'd believe you have enough money for that, did you? Because you're dumber than I thought you were if you do think that."

Shanks shrugged his shoulders. "We don't ever talk. How should I know if you know that?"

The older man looked back to Ace and sighed. "I'll take care of it." The room was silent for a few minutes before Garp spoke again. "So, where's Luffy?"

Shanks frowned. "I thought I told you-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you said. Where is he?"

"He hasn't been eating, so Zoro took him to get some food."

Garp glared at nothing in particular. "Idiot grandson."

"What else would you expect from Luffy?" Shanks asked.

"I expect him not to be the idiot he is."

Shanks laughed. "I think you're expecting something impossible."

"Tell me about it." Garp muttered, mostly to himself. "That green-haired brat-"

"You mean Zoro?" Shanks interrupted with a smile.

"_That green-haired brat _is who you really think Luffy should be living with?"

"Can't think of a better person."

Garp looked indecisive for a bit before he gave up and sighed. "I don't trust him just like I don't trust you, but he's not a complete dumbass, so if he says yes, then I'll allow Luffy to stay with him. If he doesn't, the boy comes with me."

Shanks ignored Garp's obvious insult toward him. "I don't think he'll say no."

Garp gave one last look at Ace before making his way to the door and walking past Shanks. "You better tell me sometime today. I'm leaving."

Shanks let the man go. He dropped his arms and let out a sigh of relief. That man was so difficult and stubborn, it was ridiculous, but he was a huge help that was for sure. His gaze shifted to Ace and he stared at the boy for quite a while. Things were slowly beginning to turn out for the better. Perhaps within the next couple weeks, Ace would as well.

It was about ten minutes after Garp left that Shanks remembered that he'd told Zoro he would go and get them once the man was gone. He pushed himself away off the door frame and began making his way to the cafeteria. At this point, he was wishing he could get a nap or something. Maybe he could squeeze one in after he got the two teens.

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><p>"We're finally here!" Luffy cheered as they reached the cafeteria. He was never going to let Zoro lead them anywhere ever again. His stomach growled and he let go of Zoro's hand in favor of running into the cafeteria for something to eat. Zoro followed behind at a slower pace, watching Luffy run up to all of the food and practically start drooling over it.<p>

Maybe persuading Luffy by saying he could eat whatever he wanted would backfire on him. He'd forgotten that he had to pay for it. Luffy was so going to break him. But, he already promised and it was for Luffy, so he wouldn't miss that money too much.

He wasn't exactly looking forward to eating what hospitals call food, but he was quite hungry as well, and it would be better than nothing. He walked around, looking for the best quality food. Luffy didn't seem to care which food he got, he just randomly grabbed a bunch of it all. After Zoro paid for all of the food, he decided it would be best to eat in the cafeteria instead of going back to Ace's room. Luffy followed him to a table, beginning to munch on the food he held in his arms before he even got there.

After they sat down, Zoro found himself watching Luffy eat more than actually eating his own food. That kid could really stuff it down, and the fact that he hadn't eaten in a day did not help. Luffy's food was gone in no time at all. The younger bit his lip and stared at what Zoro had left of his food. Zoro caught Luffy's stare and lifted an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Luffy absently drew invisible circles on the table with his finger. "I'm still hungry…"

Zoro knew something like this would probably happen. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, counting the amount of money he had left. He needed to have a bit of extra money for gas and things like that. He figured about the approximate amount that would require and gave Luffy the rest. He'd always make more at his job and he had the bills paid for the month, so it didn't matter. Most of that money was used for whatever he wanted to spend it on, and Luffy was hungry, so it was going toward something good, he supposed. "This is all I have left for you to spend on food."

Luffy accepted the money, but hesitated in getting up. "Is it okay that you're giving me this much?" He didn't want to spend ALL of Zoro's money on food.

"It's fine. Go get some more food. I'll be right here."

Luffy grinned and jumped up from his chair. "Thank you, Zoro!" The younger held the money with both hands and raced around the small table to give Zoro a quick kiss on the cheek before he disappeared off to go buy more food. Zoro was surprised by that for a few seconds, but it wore off, and he went back to eating.

He continued eating for a few minutes, before the sound of someone clearing their throat caught his attention. His gaze traveled up, only to see Shanks' smiling face looking back at him. "Garp left." He announced to the teen.

Zoro looked around for Luffy, spotting the other across the room. He seemed to not have noticed that Shanks was there. "Any trouble?" He replied.

Shanks took Luffy's seat. "Not really." The older man suddenly smirked. "I, ah, noticed that you and Luffy seem to be a little closer than before. Did something happen?"

Zoro tensed. He really did not want to talk about this with a man he'd just met. Wait, had Shanks seen that little show of affection Luffy did? Oh, that was so embarrassing. Zoro chose not to say anything and Shanks laughed. "I guess that answers my question then. Oh, but Zoro, about what I wanted to ask you yesterday. Do you remember?"

The teen recalled back to yesterday when he'd talked to Shanks. Actually, now that Shanks reminded him, he recalled the man going to ask him something. After they were interrupted, it kind of slipped his mind. He nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"It's really important and I'd understand if you say no, but I still need to ask anyway." Zoro listened, curious about what was so important that Shanks had to ask him about. "I think that Luffy should go back to school Monday, and after visiting hours are over tonight, I'm going to talk to him about leaving the hospital for tonight. And, if I were able to, I would let Luffy stay with me until Ace wakes up and is released, but that's an hour away from here. I wanted to ask you a huge favor. It would mean a lot, but like I said, if there's no way, then that's fine. I just think that you're the only person fit for providing Luffy a place to stay, and if you say yes, I'm willing to make sure you have enough money to take care of him. I'll give you as much money as you need. I don't want Luffy living in that apartment by himself and his only other choices are me and Garp."

That was quite a bit for Zoro to process at once. He hadn't completely thought about Luffy's living situation because he figured Shanks had it covered. He thought it over for a few minutes. The fact that Shanks was willing to make sure he could afford to let Luffy live with him helped out a lot with this decision. He didn't make enough money to provide for two people, so that was good. And, if Shanks lived that far away, Luffy wouldn't be able to attend their school most likely. What would living with Luffy be like anyway? That wasn't all too important right now. This was a pretty big responsibility that Shanks was throwing on him. Would Luffy be able to handle it? The boy would be stuck by himself a lot after school because he had work. "You think this is the best for Luffy?" He asked Shanks.

"I think you're the best person to trust and the only one Luffy would enjoy staying with. It could be a while before Ace wakes up."

He also had to consider that. If he accepted this, he could be stuck with Luffy for months or longer. Shanks believed it was the best thing and he wouldn't necessarily mind if Luffy stayed with him. He also agreed with Shanks about Luffy staying in that apartment alone. He didn't want that either. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it became what his answer was going to be. "Okay, Luffy can live with me as long as I have enough money for him. Everything else can be worked out easily."

Shanks smiled in appreciation. "Don't worry. I'll definitely make sure of that. I really appreciate this. I know it's a very big thing to ask of someone, especially at your age."

"If it's for Luffy, I'm willing to accept anything."

At that moment, Zoro and Shanks were interrupted from their conversation by a shout from across the room. They both looked over to see Luffy hurriedly making his way back over with a lot of food. He grinned at Shanks. "Shanks!" When he reached the table, he clumsily dumped all of the food on it and launched himself at the red haired man. Luffy had his arms wrapped around the man's midsection, and he lifted his head to look at Shanks. "I'm sorry."

The older man looked confused by Luffy's apology. "What for?"

"You've been doing so much for me and Ace and I didn't even realize it, so I said I didn't care, which I really don't mean, and then Zoro showed me that list you wrote! It made me feel really bad. I wanted to say I was sorry because you have all of these things to take care of and do and you're constantly doing _something_, so I barely get to see you anymore, and-"

"Luffy, it's alright." Shanks laughed and Zoro cracked a smile at Luffy's constant rambling. "You have nothing to apologize for. Don't worry about me."

"But, Shanks, it's not fair-"

"I said it's okay."

"But, it's not."

"Yes, it is, Luffy. It doesn't bother me that much."

Luffy pouted. "You're lying."

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes, you are. Quit it."

Shanks sighed and ruffled Luffy's hair. "Okay, kid, you got me, but everything will be just fine. I'll take care of it all."

"You shouldn't have to."

"I'm sorry, Luffy, but I have no other choice. Look, I have something to tell you anyway." Shanks grabbed Luffy's arms and pulled them away from his body. "It's very important and you need to understand before you get upset."

Luffy blinked, confused about what Shanks was saying. He pushed himself off of his knees to stand at his full height. "What is it?"

Shanks took a breath before starting. He needed to tell Luffy this in the easiest way possible for him to cope with. "You understand that you're going to have to go back to school, right?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, and it's not good if you miss too many days, which means that you can't be at the hospital during school hours anymore. After school is completely fine, but that also means that you can't stay the night then either. You get that, don't you? It's not something we can control." Shanks wanted to make sure Luffy fully understood and tried to tell him in a way that Luffy would be able to grasp without getting upset about it.

Luffy's gaze dropped to the floor. "I know that."

"Luffy, don't look away." At Shanks' command, Luffy lifted his head to look at the man. "I know you're disappointed, but this is just how things are. We still have some hours to kill before visiting is over and I'm sure Zoro wants to go home too. So, tonight we're not staying at the hospital."

Luffy furrowed his brows. "But, why? I don't have school tomorrow."

"You don't, and we can come back tomorrow if you want to, but wouldn't you like to get a bath and sleep in an actual bed again? It'll do you some good to be away for a little bit."

The younger shifted his feet. "I guess so."

"Then, you're okay with leaving at nights now?" Luffy nodded. He may not have wanted to, but Shanks always had the best intentions, so he could trust him. "Do you want to go to my apartment or yours?"

Well, he definitely wanted to be closer to the hospital, so Luffy figured his and Ace's apartment would he best. "Mine. Is that okay?"

"It's probably better to stay there since that's where your clothes are and stuff. There are plenty of hours left until we'll have to leave, so don't worry, and we'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

Luffy smiled at the man. "Okay." He then looked to Zoro. "Are you going home too, Zoro?"

"Yeah. I need a shower and things like that. I also have work tomorrow."

"That reminds me!" Shanks suddenly exclaimed. He looked to Luffy seriously. "I have something else to say too, Luffy."

Luffy hoped that this news would be better than the other news. "What?"

"You have to go to school Monday, and I can't stay here forever, so I'll be leaving Sunday night."

Luffy worried his lip at that. If Shanks left didn't that mean he'd have to stay in that apartment all by himself? Zoro noticed Luffy's worry and decided to take over from there. "Shanks will be leaving, but you won't be by yourself."

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked.

"What I mean is, how does staying with me for a while sound? Would you like that?"

He could actually stay with Zoro? That was great considering he wouldn't have to live by himself. "I can live with Zoro?" He asked the older teen. Zoro nodded and Luffy broke out into another grin. "Really?.! So, I don't have to live by myself?"

Zoro smirked. "Of course not. You can live with me for as long as it takes Ace to wake up."

Luffy looked to Shanks. "When do I get to move in?"

The older man laughed. "We'll work on it this weekend. You're very excited. I wonder why." Shanks smirked at Luffy knowingly.

The younger purposefully turned his head away. "Quit saying things like that."

Zoro pointed at one of the chairs at the table beside theirs. "Luffy, grab a chair and eat. I didn't buy all of that food just so it'll sit there." After Zoro's remark, Luffy did as he was told and dove into all of the food he managed to get. He started to come to terms with the fact that he wouldn't be able to stay by Ace's side twenty-four seven. That was why he accepted what Shanks was telling him and agreed to it all without getting upset about any of it. He also didn't want to make things harder for Shanks than they were, and if this is what Shanks thought was best, then he wouldn't question it or disagree. As long as he still got to see Ace, he was coming around to the idea of leaving the hospital for a bit. The thought of a bath did sound very nice, and getting to sleep in his bed again.

Luffy guessed that leaving for the night would do some good. It wasn't healthy for him to be staying in that room all day without eating and not getting the best of sleep because those chairs weren't the most comfortable objects to sleep in. He'd missed a whole day of school, plus more than half of a day when Shanks pulled him out, and it would be bad if he continued to keep skipping days. He wasn't looking forward to going back Monday, but he didn't have a choice. At least Zoro would be there and now that he thought about it, if he was going to be staying with the older teen that would mean Zoro would be bringing them to school together from now on. That sounded like it would be fun. He'd love to go to school with Zoro more often.

Luffy finished his food shortly later and the three of them spent the rest of the day at the hospital. Zoro and Shanks chose not to mention Garp's little visit to Luffy even though nothing had happened, it would just be better if the youngest didn't even know his grandfather had been there. Shanks gathered all of Luffy's things he'd accumulated in the short time they were at the hospital and put them in his car beforehand.

Later that day, when it came close to the time that visiting hours ended, Luffy knew they would be leaving very soon. He hated to leave Ace here all by himself. At least last night, he was in the same building. Tonight that wouldn't be the case. He was grateful that Shanks would be staying with him though.

Speaking of the man, Shanks walked back into Ace's room right after that thought. "Are you two ready to leave?" He asked Luffy and Zoro.

Zoro was ready, but was Luffy? He looked over at said teen. Luffy gave a small smile. "Yeah, just a minute." He let go of Ace's hand, which he had been holding on to for a while, and made sure his arm was at a safe distance from the edge of the bed. Sometimes when he held it for a long time, he didn't realize that we would accidentally tug Ace's arm a little farther away from his body, and he didn't want for his arm to get too close to the edge.

He made sure to be extremely careful when attempting to give Ace a quick hug. He hadn't done that since the first time because of Zoro's warning that it was dangerous, but since he was leaving the hospital, he really wanted to give Ace a hug until he would be able to see him again the next day. He pulled away from his brother carefully. "I'll be back tomorrow, Ace." Luffy grinned and turned away from the bed.

Zoro stood and shouldered his bag. He approached Luffy and wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders. He honestly didn't mind that Shanks was there anymore. "You'll get to see Ace as much as you want, so don't worry about leaving tonight." He reassured the other.

"I'll be fine, I guess." Luffy replied, allowing Zoro to walk him to the door. Shanks led them from Ace's room and through the hospital to the entrance at which he had his car parked.

When they reached the older man's car in the parking lot, Zoro opened the back door and let Luffy slide in and over, before getting in himself. Shanks turned the ignition and backed out of the parking lot. "Zoro, do you want me to take you to your apartment or your car?" He asked the older teen.

"Oh yeah, your car's still at school, isn't it?" Luffy asked. He'd forgotten all about that.

Zoro sighed. "I sure hope it is."

Luffy blinked, confused. "Why wouldn't it be?"

The other leaned back in the seat comfortably. "I don't know if our school has some kind of rule about towing cars that are on the premises for longer than a day or whatever. That won't be good if they do."

During the twenty minute drive to school to get Zoro's car, if it was still there, Luffy chose to rest on Zoro because he was tired and it was comfortable. Since he was seated in the middle and only had the seatbelt around his waist, he was perfectly capable of lying down on Zoro. He rested his head on Zoro's legs and the elder absently let his fingers move through Luffy's hair.

They both stayed like that the entire way to the school. Once they got there, Zoro was relieved to see that his car was still there. There were a few other cars parked in random spots in the parking lot. He tapped Luffy under the chin. "You getting up anytime soon?"

Luffy lifted his head and blinked at the other. He looked around, noticed the school out of the window, and pouted. "You're leaving already?"

"Yeah, but we'll probably see each other sometime this weekend. I'll see when we need to get your things." Shanks had pulled up next to Zoro's car. The older teen grabbed his bag and climbed out of the car. Luffy unexpectedly pulled the seatbelt off and followed Zoro out of the car. "What are you doing?" Luffy grinned and wrapped his arms around Zoro's neck, pushing himself up on his toes.

"I don't know when I'll see Zoro again, so…" Luffy trailed off. Zoro understood what Luffy was getting at and smiled down at him.

"How could I forget?" Zoro leaned down and met Luffy in a kiss. When he pulled back, Luffy hugged him. He wrapped his arms back around the younger to return the embrace. After some seconds, he moved his hands up to Luffy's shoulders and gently pulled the boy away from him. "I have to go now."

"I know. Bye bye Zoro." Luffy smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He pulled away from Zoro completely and waved at the older teen before getting into the passenger's side of Shanks car. Luffy rolled the window down and motioned for Zoro to lean down. The younger stuck his head out of the window and Zoro glanced at Shanks warily. Luffy seemed to be completely fine showing such affection in front of the man, and Zoro didn't exactly care, but it was slightly awkward. Zoro decided to ignore the man for now and directed his attention back to Luffy's face. Luffy giggled and pressed his lips to Zoro's own in a light, quick kiss. He rested his arms on the door and his grin widened. "Will I get to see you tomorrow?"

"I have work, so what about Sunday? We can get you moved in then too if you want."

"Okay." Luffy wasn't disappointed because he was promised to see ace again tomorrow, and it was understandable if Zoro had work.

"I really should go, Luffy." Zoro tucked a stray strand of hair behind Luffy's ear. "I'll see you Sunday, okay?"

Luffy nodded. "Mm-hm!" Zoro backed away from the car and Luffy waved again. "Bye!" Zoro returned his wave once more and this time Shanks put the car in reverse and backed out of the school parking lot. Luffy waved to Zoro until he couldn't see him anymore. He then directed his attention to Shanks who had a goofy smile on his face.

"So, something did happen." The older man remarked. Luffy giggled, still kind of caught up in his giddy mood that Zoro seemed to cause. "Is Zoro your boyfriend now, Luffy?" Shanks practically sung.

"Um…" Luffy scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I guess so."

Shanks smirked. "Ah, Luffy's very first boyfriend. How cute."

Luffy's face reddened. He wanted to consider Zoro something of the sort, but hadn't asked straight out about it because it did seem kind of embarrassing to him. He would like to bring it up at some point though. He didn't respond to Shanks' comment, and chose to stare out the window instead on the rest of the way to the apartment.

* * *

><p>Once they got there, Luffy jumped out of the car and practically raced to his apartment. It would feel so nice to be home again. Even if Ace wasn't here with him, it would still hold a sort of contentment to it. Shanks chuckled at Luffy's behavior and used Luffy's key that he held onto to unlocked the door for the boy. Luffy pushed the door open, stepping into the dark apartment. Shanks followed him inside, closing the door behind him, and going to the living room. He could get Luffy's clothes and bag from the car at some other time, like tomorrow. "What do you want to do now?" He asked Luffy. "Maybe a bath would be good for you."<p>

"That would be nice." Luffy replied, pulling his hat from around his neck, and placing it on the coffee table.

"In that case," Shanks began, walking towards the bathroom as he spoke. "get some clothes together and I'll start it."

Luffy bounded off into his room to do what Shanks said, and the older man started running the bath water. He sat down on the toilet seat as he waited for the bath to fill, and for Luffy to get his things. The younger came into the bathroom shortly after, holding his clothes in his arms. Shanks glanced over at the bathtub, a particular bottle catching his attention. He grinned and lifted it up to get a better look. "Hm, a bubblebath?"

Luffy laughed. "Ace buys that for me."

Shanks uncapped the bottle and poured a decent amount into the running bathwater, sticking his hand into the water and moving it around to create more bubbles. He put enough in so that the entire tub was filled with bubbles by the time he stopped the water. "There." Shanks stood up and walked over to the door. "If you need anything, just yell."

Afterwards, he closed the door behind him and went into the living room. Luffy started at the door for a few seconds, before putting his clothes on the sink counter. He turned to the tub and began to undress. The second he lowered himself into the bathtub, he could feel his muscles relax considerably. The water was so warm and relaxing. It felt good to be home once again. Shanks was definitely right about coming back tonight.

Luffy soaked in the bath for a while. After he'd laid in it long enough though, he figured it'd be best to start washing his hair. He looked in the spot that they usually kept the shampoo, but noticed that it wasn't there. A glance around the bathtub showed that there was no shampoo around. What was he supposed to do now? The extra bottles were probably under the sink cabinet and that was too far away. He didn't exactly want to get out of the bathtub just to retrieve a bottle of shampoo. He thought about it for a few minutes before remembering what Shanks had said. Well, he could call for Shanks to come get it, but that would prove how lazy he was being. Ah, he didn't necessarily care about that. Shanks wouldn't mind. Luffy took a breath and yelled the other's name loud enough so that Shanks could hear him.

Seconds later, the bathroom door cracked open and Shanks popped his head in. "You need something, Luffy?"

The younger grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Could you check and see if there's any shampoo under there?" He pointed to the cabinet under the sink.

Shanks chuckled and walked the rest of the way in. "You yelled for me to get you some shampoo. You could have gotten it yourself, you know. Or checked before you got in the tub." He talked as he opened the cabinet and looked for a bottle of shampoo.

"But, I didn't want to get up."

Shanks pulled the bottle from the cabinet and walked over to Luffy, taking a seat on the toilet once again. "Which means you probably don't _feel _like washing your hair either, right?"

The other looked a bit sheepish. "Well…not really."

The red haired man smirked. "Come here then."

Luffy threw his head back and groaned. "I don't want to mooooveee."

Shanks opened the bottle. "Just do it. You're lucky I'm even doing this for you."

Luffy reluctantly shifted around in the tub so his back was facing Shanks. The older man poured some of the shampoo in his hand and massaged it into Luffy's hair. Luffy closed his eyes as Shanks moved his fingers through his hair. The only person who had ever done this to him before was Ace when they were younger, and the feeling was insanely relaxing. He felt like he could fall asleep from it.

"Are you excited to live with Zoro?" Shanks asked casually.

"Mm-hm." Luffy mumbled back. He felt so relaxed and tired that he didn't even feel like speaking. Shanks finished with the shampoo and washed his hands off by dipping them into the bath water. He noticed a plastic cup sitting off to the side and used that to scoop up some of the bathwater to pour over Luffy's head, so he could wash all of the shampoo out. Luffy literally was on the verge of falling asleep until he felt the water over his head and that kept him awake. Once Shanks managed to wash Luffy's hair, he grabbed the nearest clean towel and worked on drying Luffy's hair.

When he finished that, he placed the towel aside and stood up. "I hope you feel like getting out and dressing yourself because I'm not doing that." Shanks laughed and walked to the door. "Don't fall sleep either." He closed the door behind him again and Luffy leaned back against the tub, choosing to stay in the bath a little longer. He'd get out when he felt like it. Right now, the water felt too good and he couldn't bring himself to have the motivation to lift himself up. Oh well, Shanks wouldn't care and the last day or so was exhausting. He couldn't wait until he'd get to visit Ace again tomorrow.


	19. XIX: Moving In

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

* * *

><p>The next day, Shanks took Luffy back to the hospital to visit Ace some more. And, he pretty much stayed by Ace's side almost the whole time. Shanks managed to talk Luffy into leaving earlier than usual with the promise of going out to get something to eat. Zoro hadn't been with him because of work, but that was okay. Luffy enjoyed sitting there with Shanks just as much as having Zoro there with him.<p>

It was now Sunday and Luffy felt a few different emotions for different reasons. He was happy that he could start moving things into Zoro's apartment, but he disliked the fact that Shanks would be leaving and he wouldn't get to see Ace as long today as he usually did. They planned to spend the majority of the day getting the things Luffy needed the most, when living with Zoro, to the older teen's apartment.

Larger things like his bed would still remain at his and Ace's apartment. There was no room in Zoro's, and Zoro said they would figure out exactly where he was going to sleep when the time came, so he assumed that would be taken care of that night. For the most part, he mainly needed his clothes. He brought other things like extra shampoo and a toothbrush and they even decided it would be a good idea to bring a lot of the food from Luffy and Ace's apartment as well. If they didn't, it would sit there and go to waste.

He also had his school stuff, his own blanket and pillows, a comb and other little things like that. It had taken hours between sorting and packing all of his belongings, plus gathering the food too. Shanks picked up the last bag filled with mostly Luffy's clothes. Luffy followed the older man to the door, but hesitated before walking out of the apartment.

No matter how long he had to live with Zoro, whether it was a few weeks or months, he was definitely going to miss this apartment. He loved living here with Ace; it was their home, but without Ace, it felt just like a regular apartment. The warmth was gone and it looked lonely, which made him not want to live here any longer until he could live in it with Ace again. Despite that, adapting to living in a whole new apartment would take a bit of time, but he knew it wouldn't be hard. He could probably manage that in a few days.

"Are you ready?" Shanks asked, standing by the opened door.

Luffy nodded and turned around to the man. "How long do you think I'll have to live with Zoro?" He asked as he walked out of the apartment. Shanks locked the door and gave Luffy his key in case he may need it to get something in the future.

They began heading toward the staircase as Shanks replied. "I don't know. I'm hoping it won't be longer than a few months since I still have to keep up with Ace's bills in the meantime."

The younger looked down while descending the stairs. "I'm sorry that you have to pay for those things. There's nothing else you can do?"

"Sadly no. If I don't, you won't have an apartment to go back to."

Luffy thought about it on the way to Shanks' car. He hated that Shanks had to pay for all of these things when they weren't his responsibility to pay. Along with his own expenses, he couldn't expect Shanks to be able to have enough money to also take care of their rent and things like that. When Luffy got into the car, it finally hit him what he could do about this situation. He turned around to the other who was placing Luffy's bag in the backseat. "Shanks, can I get a job?"

Shanks closed the back door and got into the driver's side. He gave Luffy a stern look. "You don't need a job, Luffy."

The younger frowned. "Yes, I do! If I get a job then you won't have to pay our bills."

Shanks turned his attention from Luffy to the car and started it. "I have enough money to cover it."

"So? You shouldn't have to! And, I'm old enough to work."

"There's no point for you to have a job. You're still in school and I can pay for everything."

Luffy crossed his arms. "But, Zoro has a job!"

"Zoro lives on his own. He has to have one."

The other huffed and grumbled to himself. He disliked being told no very much, and especially about something like this. What exactly would it hurt if he got a job? Zoro had one and did perfectly fine in school, so Shanks couldn't use that excuse on him. It wasn't fair to make Shanks pay their bills. He was perfectly capable of doing so once he got a job. That wouldn't be a bad thing at all and would save Shanks from having to use his own hard earned money on him. If Shanks wouldn't let him, then he'd just wait until he leaves and then ask Zoro about it.

Luffy didn't mention anything else about a job the rest of the way to Zoro's apartment. Speaking of work, it was a good thing Zoro didn't have it today or else they probably wouldn't have been able to move his things in. And, now that Luffy thought about it, he'd never thought about asking where Zoro works at. That kind of made him curious. He'd try to remember to ask sometime.

When they arrived at Zoro's apartment, Luffy and Shanks retrieved all of Luffy's bags from his car. There were actually a lot of bags. Luffy worked on carrying as many as he possibly could by holding some under his arms and even carrying a bag with his teeth. Shanks laughed at the teen and Luffy grinned. The older began walking toward the apartment building. "Please tell me you know Zoro's apartment."

Luffy nodded. "Mm-hm! Dis way." His words came out sounding different because of the bag he spoke around. Even though Luffy had only been to Zoro's apartment once and it had been a while since then, it wasn't very hard to remember it. Luffy led the way and when he reached Zoro's door, he stopped and tried to figure out a way to knock with all of these bags in his hands. He whined and looked over when Shanks did it instead. Well, the man wasn't carrying nearly as many bags as he was, so it was logical that Shanks would be the one to knock… anyway, that wasn't important. That was just Luffy realizing something he should have thought about before.

The door opened some seconds later to reveal Zoro with a towel around his neck. His hair looked slightly damp which told them that he probably had gotten out of the shower not too long ago. Luffy grinned widely around the bag. "Zoro!" Actually, Zoro's name came out sounding more like 'Zowo' than anything.

Zoro chuckled and grabbed the bag out of Luffy's mouth. "You sure have a lot of bags." He remarked, also taking the other two Luffy had under each arm.

He pushed the door open further with his back, allowing the two entrance to his apartment. "I have a lot of things! But, some of it's food." Zoro lifted a brow and closed the door behind them, choosing not to question it.

Shanks put the suit case he was carrying down on the floor and placed some of the grocery bags with food in them on the nearest table. "This is everything, but Luffy has the key if he needs something out of the apartment."

Zoro sat the three bags he'd taken from Luffy next to the suitcase. "Does that mean you're leaving?"

"Yep. There's not much of a reason to stick around. I need to get back home."

Luffy dropped his bags and approached the red haired man. "You're leaving this early?"

"I was going to wait until tonight, but it would be best to leave sooner. You still have to get settled in and stuff. If you want to see Ace though, I can take you for while."

"Don't worry about that." Zoro said. "I can take him."

Shanks grinned at the older teen. "Thanks, Zoro. And, Luffy, you aren't going to be difficult for Zoro, are you?"

Luffy laughed and latched onto Zoro's arm. "Nope! I'm going to be good!"

"You better be." Shanks looked to Zoro. "Luffy knows my number if you need anything. Oh, and," He reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. Luffy watched curiously as Shanks pulled out some money and handed it to Zoro. "that's for Luffy. There should be enough, but if not, let me know."

"For me?" Luffy asked, confused.

Zoro accepted the money and looked down to Luffy. "It's so I have enough money so you can stay with me."

"Oh." See, he'd known nothing about that. Yet another reason why it would be good if he got a job. Luffy decided not to make a fuss about it since Shanks was leaving and all. He still planned on asking Zoro about a job anyway.

Shanks realized what Luffy must have been thinking and gave him a look. "You remember what we talked about on the way here and don't forget that you have to go to school tomorrow too."

Luffy looked away. He was not happy. "I know."

Zoro didn't exactly know what they were talking about, so he was just confused. "All right, then I guess I'm leaving."

Because Luffy was still holding onto Zoro's arm, he pulled the teen with him to follow Shanks to the door. "Are you going to visit?" He asked when Shanks reached the door.

Shanks turned and ruffled the boy's hair. "Any chance I get. I'll probably come back to the hospital once or twice a week, so there will be plenty of time to visit."

Luffy smiled and let go of Zoro to give Shanks a hug before he left. "Okay." After that, they said their goodbyes and Shanks left the apartment. Luffy turned back to Zoro. "What are we going to do now?"

"Let's get your things out of the way." Zoro went into the living room and Luffy followed behind. "What did you bring?" The older teen asked as he moved Luffy's bags to another part of the room so they wouldn't be in a bad spot.

Zoro moved most of them while Luffy carried two of the smaller ones over. "Just a lot of clothes, bath, and school stuff. Shanks said it would be bad to leave some of the food we had in the apartment because it would expire, so we brought that too, but that's in those grocery bags." Luffy pointed to the bags Shanks had put on Zoro's table. "Which reminds me. I'm hungry!" He then proceeded to make his way over to the bags to see what Shanks had brought. Most of it was food from their refrigerator. Luffy rummaged through the bags until he settled on something he wanted. Zoro came up and took the bags, going into the kitchen to put the food away. As the elder worked on doing that, Luffy followed him and watched while eating. "So…where am I going to sleep tonight?" He asked to begin some sort of conversation.

"I'm not sure." Zoro replied, continuing to stock the fridge. "I haven't figured out where to put your things either because I don't exactly have room, so I guess we can leave them in your bags until we think of something. As for where you sleep, well," Zoro folded the paper bag and placed it aside. "what do you want to do?"

Luffy blinked. He didn't think Zoro would ask him where he wanted to sleep. He assumed Zoro would choose. There wasn't anywhere else but the couch, so that would be the obvious choice. He didn't exactly mind the couch either. It wasn't as great as a bed, but it wasn't completely uncomfortable. "The couch?"

Zoro put the last of the food away and folded that bag as well, adding it to the stack of folded paper bags. "Maybe we should get a mattress or something in the next few days. You'll get sick of that couch after a while."

"I don't mind!"

"I'll still check it out." Even if Luffy didn't care, he knew a mattress would be much more comfortable than the couch. "Hey…"

"Hm?" Luffy responded as he swallowed his last bites of his food.

"Can we talk for a bit?"

Luffy was slightly confused. "About what?"

Zoro sighed. "About us. I just want to clear some stuff up, that's all."

The younger was still confused for a bit before it hit him and he understood what Zoro was talking about. Honestly, he didn't mind that, because he also wanted to kind of know what was going to happen now. They hadn't talked at all yesterday, so it would be nice to be able to talk about things.

Luffy nodded. "That's fine."

"Come on." Zoro grabbed Luffy's hand and led him to the couch in the other room. "I thought about it yesterday and I wanted to see what it is you exactly want. I know we kind of went over this at the hospital, but it's been two days, and I think it's better to figure things out now in order to move forward. So, what are you thinking?"

The younger found that simple question to be hard to put into words without getting embarrassed or flustered about the things he wanted to ask and say. "Well…" Luffy hesitated, trying to piece what he wanted to say together so that it made sense. "I love Zoro as a friend and even more than that, I have for a while actually." Luffy smiled at the older teen. Despite the fact that he was feeling nervous about saying such personal things to Zoro, he also felt good about it, because he'd wanted Zoro to know exactly what he was thinking. And, in order to do that, he needed to either deal with the nervousness or get over it. "I was really happy the other day because I never planned to say anything. I was scared to tell you. Zoro's my friend and I don't want to lose that."

That was something Zoro was happy to hear. This meant they would be going in the right direction, hopefully. "Do you want to continue this or stop now?" That was something huge that Zoro needed to know. He wanted to make sure that he knew what Luffy wanted and that he wanted the same. If they weren't both completely for this, there would be no reason to keep trying. He despised that thought, but it was true and was the sole basis of why he wanted to talk to Luffy in the first place.

Luffy was caught off guard by that question. Wasn't it obvious what he wanted to do? Maybe Zoro was having doubts, and that thought frightened him a bit. Of course he wanted to keep going with this. Zoro was the only person he'd liked this way. "Do you not want to do this?" He asked nervously. If Zoro said that he didn't, he'd be pretty upset and disappointed.

Maybe he should have worded that question differently. He didn't want Luffy getting any wrong ideas or assumptions. "No, I want to. I just need to know if you do."

Luffy felt immensely relieved after Zoro said that. Zoro had him scared for a minute there. "Of course, silly. I like you too much."

Zoro cracked a small smile. "Really. How much?"

The other grinned. "A whole bunch."

"And, how much is that?"

"This much." Luffy moved to sit comfortably on Zoro's lap. The older watched Luffy in amusement as he situated himself in a way so he had either leg on each side of Zoro. After accomplishing that, his grinned widened as he cupped Zoro's face with his hands and leaned down to plant a kiss on the other's lips.

Zoro's arms moved to encircle Luffy's waist. "Just that much?" He teased the younger.

Luffy pouted. "No!"

Zoro lifted an eyebrow in a playful manner. "Okay. If not that much, how much more?"

Luffy's face developed a pink tint in embarrassment. Wait, why was he being embarrassed? He had to be more determined to prove to Zoro how much he liked him. With that thought, Luffy's face changed from that uncertain look to one of determination. "This much more." He stated firmly as he held Zoro's face and turned his head, pressing his lips to Zoro's once again, but harder than before. He felt Zoro's arms tighten around his waist and he decided to be a bit more daring with his sudden determination and lightly bite at Zoro's bottom lip. His tongue darted out to prod at Zoro's lips until the elder parted his lips slightly. Luffy wanted to prove to Zoro so much how much he wanted this and to be with Zoro, so he wasted no time in forcing his tongue further into Zoro's mouth, parting Zoro's lips farther apart.

Luffy could feel Zoro pressing back, trying to overcome him. He pushed against the other harder, using his advantage of being on top of Zoro. The older teen allowed Luffy to continue to wrestle with his tongue over dominance until he finally moved his hands to grasp Luffy's arms and push him off of his lap, onto his back on the couch. He broke the heated kiss and smirked down at Luffy who was attempting to glare at him while catching his breath at the same time. "Not fair. You're too strong."

"That's not being unfair. You're just a sore loser." Zoro replied, his smirk widening at Luffy's expression. The kid could not pull off a glare like that when his face was red and his lips were swollen. It only made him look terribly adorable. Luffy wanted to cross his arms and look away, but Zoro had them pinned to the couch, so that wasn't happening.

"I was trying to prove something to you." Luffy muttered, looking displeased at having lost. Stupid Zoro being stronger than him.

"I think you proved enough."

"No, I could do more." He retorted, trying to move his arms out of Zoro's grip. He had one leg that was free, so he used that to wrap around Zoro's back to try and pull the other down closer to him.

Zoro moved his hands down Luffy's arms and slipped them under Luffy's own to lace their fingers. "Why don't I do more?" Zoro asked, moving their hands by Luffy's head in a better position. Before Luffy could reply, Zoro swept down and captured the boy's lips in another kiss. Then, he left Luffy's lips in favor of trailing kisses down the younger's neck.

Luffy giggled when Zoro's teeth accidentally scraped over a certain area on his neck. Zoro glanced up at Luffy and then back down to resume his actions. He latched onto that spot, sucking and nibbling at the sensitive flesh there. Those ministrations caused more pleasure than tickling, which, in turn, caused some slight reactions in a place that Luffy felt uncomfortable with at the moment. He pushed against Zoro's hands in a failed attempt to get Zoro to quit. He felt Zoro bite down harder in that same spot and gasped, squirming around a bit. "Z-zoro, stop..." If Zoro didn't let up soon, he was sure he'd begin to feel even more awkward.

Zoro had heard Luffy's little plea for him to stop, but he wanted to keep teasing him a bit longer. He moved down Luffy's neck, stopping at the conjunction of his neck and shoulder, and nipping at the skin lightly. Luffy continued to squirm from the pleasure he was feeling simply from Zoro's assault on his neck.

When he was satisfied with Luffy's neck, Zoro moved back up to the other's face. Luffy's face was flushed and his eyes kept drooping until they were half-lidded. He loved having this kind of effect on the boy. Zoro watched the muscles move in Luffy's jaws and neck as he swallowed. He grinned and leaned down to Luffy's lips, sticking his tongue out, and running it across the boy's sealed lips.

Oh, did that feel good. Luffy parted his lips, allowing Zoro to delve back into his mouth. This time he didn't bother trying to fight for dominance, he simply let Zoro do it all. He let out a muffled moan as Zoro explored his mouth deeper. His hands tightened against Zoro's, his nails lightly scratching over Zoro's skin.

Once Zoro could feel Luffy's body reacting to his actions from so much pleasure, he backed off, separating their mouths. He enjoyed pleasing Luffy very much, but it seemed a little too soon to be going that far, unless Luffy had no problem with it, then he was all for it. He had the feeling that it would be better to wait a little longer though. Luffy moved his leg back to the couch and Zoro let go of his hands, feeling pretty satisfied with himself for some odd reason. He sat back on his knees, watching for Luffy's reaction.

Luffy blinked a couple times and looked to Zoro, letting a grin slowly seep onto his face. He completely forgot what he was originally doing that started this. "Was that proof enough?" Zoro asked, smirking back at Luffy.

Luffy blinked again. "What?"

He'd asked that with such a goofy smile on his face that Zoro couldn't help but laugh. "Nevermind."

Luffy suddenly remembered the effects of Zoro's actions and glanced down where Zoro was sitting. His face turned a wonderful shade of crimson, and he pushed himself up in a sitting position, crossing his legs. It wasn't Zoro he was embarrassed about. Apparently Zoro had better self control or something, but Luffy had never experienced something like this, so it was understandable that his body would react that way. He wasn't fully there, but probably halfway, and that was still awkward. He snatched the nearest pillow off Zoro's couch and placed it over his lap. What a thing to happen when he'd only been to Zoro's apartment for not even an hour. Talk about embarrassing on a whole new level.

Zoro laughed at Luffy, and the younger glared. This was Zoro's fault after all. "It's not funny."

"Why are you so embarrassed?" Zoro asked, clearly amused.

"Why wouldn't I be?.!"

"Well, I don't care. It's normal."

Luffy glanced away from Zoro's face. "Yeah, but I'm still embarrassed."

"Don't be." Zoro tugged on Luffy's sleeve. "Come over here."

The younger hesitated before shifting to move closer to Zoro. He decided to hold onto the pillow until his problem went away, and Zoro pulled him over to rest between his legs, with his back against Zoro's chest. Zoro rested his chin on Luffy's shoulder, wrapping his arms around the younger's waist. "Ne, Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"Should we tell the others at school?" Luffy asked, curiously. He'd thought about that yesterday and whether Zoro would care if their other friends knew or not.

Zoro thought about it. He honestly didn't care who knew. It wasn't like he was concerned with what others thought of him, Luffy was pretty much the only one who mattered. "Do you want them to know?" He asked instead.

Luffy leaned back against Zoro some more. "They don't have to know, but if they did, I wouldn't care."

"Then, let's just do what we want and if they know, they know. How's that sound?"

"I'm okay with that."

The two fell silent for a few minutes. Neither really minded it since it felt nice to simply sit there with each other. Luffy thought about random things, but then he remembered about the whole job thing, and he wanted to ask Zoro about that. He was also curious about where Zoro worked. "Why is it bad for me to get a job?"

Zoro furrowed his brows at Luffy's random question. Why was the boy asking about a job? "It's not bad. Who said that?"

Luffy sighed. "No one said it, but it kind of felt like that was what Shanks was saying when he told me I shouldn't get a job even though I want one so I can pay Ace's bills at home. I don't think it's fair that Shanks has to and I'm old enough."

Now, Zoro understood what Luffy was talking about. "You want a job, huh?"

The younger nodded. "I just don't want Shanks spending his money on something he shouldn't have to. Zoro, can I get a job?"

Zoro wasn't sure if he should say yes to that. If Shanks had told Luffy no, then he didn't know if it would be a good idea to say yes. He thought it was perfectly fine for Luffy to get a job, he just didn't want to make Shanks angry or anything by letting Luffy get one after the man had said no. "I don't know, Luffy. I would say yes, but since Shanks told you no-"

"Please?" Luffy looked at Zoro and jutted out his bottom lip. "Can I please get one, Zoro?"

Ah, geez. Zoro found it very hard to resist that face. It was too damn cute. How dare Luffy use that on him. "Luffy-"

The other turned slightly and kissed Zoro on the lips. "Pretty please?"

Oh, Zoro knew he was screwed now. He couldn't say no to that. To hell with Shanks if he got pissed at him. He had a perfectly good excuse! "I guess so, but Shanks better not get angry at me."

"Thanks, Zoro!" Luffy turned around enough to hug the older teen. "When can I get one?.!"

"You have to fill out applications first."

"When you filled one of those out, you got your job?"

Zoro nodded. "It's not hard."

"Where do you work?" Luffy was immensely curious about that.

He never had told Luffy where he worked, but the kid hadn't asked, so that was probably why. He usually didn't mention things like that unless someone asked. "A restaurant." He replied simply.

"Really?.!" Out of all of the jobs Luffy could think of, he hadn't expected Zoro to say he worked at a restaurant. "Oh, you know, Sanji said he works at a restaurant too!"

Zoro's eye twitched at that damn cook's name. "How did he enter this conversation?"

Luffy shrugged. "I just remembered is all. But, hey! I have an idea!"

"What's that?"

"Could I fill one of those applications thingies out at where you work? I want to work with Zoro!"

Actually, Zoro hadn't even thought about that. It wouldn't hurt. He could also talk to his boss about it and maybe that would give Luffy a better chance. They were always hiring, and it would be nice to work with Luffy considering he'd get to see the boy more often, but he wondered if Luffy could handle a job. "Let me see what I can do tomorrow about that."

Luffy grinned. "This is so cool! I hope I get to work with you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just remember that this was all your idea. Shanks can't get mad at me. It's your fault if he gets angry."

"Shanks won't get mad at you. He'll just yell at me." Luffy didn't seem to be bothered with that fact, especially because he smiled when saying it. "I bet that Ace will be proud too when he wakes up. He'd never think I would get a job!"

That's right. Zoro needed to know if Luffy planned on visiting his brother today. "Do you want to go to the hospital for a few hours today?"

Luffy didn't want to make Zoro take him, but he did miss Ace. "Do you mind?"

Zoro shook his head. "No. We can go whenever you want."

"So, soon?"

Luffy seemed to get more excited as he talked about being able to visit Ace. "What about right now?" He just knew asking Luffy that would make the other insanely happy, which was why he did.

If it was possible, Luffy's grin got even bigger. "We can go right now?.!" Zoro nodded and Luffy hugged him again. "Then, let's go!" The younger jumped up from the couch, the pillow he'd had lying in his lap falling into the floor. His previous problem was gone, so he was grateful for that.

Zoro chuckled and stood up after Luffy. "It's better to go now, that way we can spend more time there."

Luffy grabbed Zoro's hand with both of his own and began pulling the older teen to the door. "I can't wait to get there!"

"Luffy, hold on!" Zoro laughed at the boy and quickly dug into his pocket to check for his keys. When he felt them, he pulled them from his pocket. "Okay, let's go." With that Luffy proceeded to hurriedly drag Zoro out of his apartment. Zoro barely had enough time to lock the door behind him before Luffy managed to drag him away from his apartment and out of the building in his excitement. Zoro should have known something like this would happen when he mentioned it, but at least Luffy was happy.


	20. XX: 'Cause I'm Awesome

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: This chapter's long, but I guess that's not a bad thing, right?

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><p>Monday morning, Zoro woke up earlier than he usually did. He'd set his alarm thirty minutes early than the normal time he woke up. He turned the annoying device off, forcing his body to get out of bed. The reasoning as to why he was awake at this time was because he figured since Luffy now lived with him, they would need more time in the morning to get ready, especially if Luffy took showers in the morning. So far, he didn't like this new schedule, but he wasn't a morning person anyway. He dragged his tired body into the bathroom for his morning shower. After that he'd wake Luffy up,S who was asleep in the other room on the couch.<p>

He disliked that Luffy was stuck sleeping on that horrid thing, but he had no extra mattresses because no one ever stayed with him. It would be best if he could find a more comfortable sleeping arrangement for the boy, but what could he do? Zoro thought about it, running over the possibilities. He could invest in one of those air mattresses, but the name alone didn't sound appealing to him. Buying a whole new mattress wouldn't exactly work because there was nowhere to keep it.

It wouldn't necessarily be a problem to afford it. He could use a bit of the money he made at work, along with some of the money that Shanks provided for Luffy, and they'd be able to buy something soon, but it had to be easy to store and keep out of the way, yet not too expensive. He continued to think about it until one possibility seemed like it would work. He'd never had one before, but those couches that could pull out into a bed would work, except it sounded like they might be a little bit pricey. He could save up, but the longer he had to save, the longer Luffy had to sleep on that couch.

This was really the only downside in this situation, and he knew it wasn't especially important or anything, but he didn't want Luffy to be uncomfortable. The other problem was that he didn't know how long Luffy would be living with him. If it happened to be for a couple months, buying a new couch would be a good idea, but if it was only for a few weeks at the most, then there wasn't much of a point. Perhaps he'd still buy it because it could come in handy sometime in the future. It wasn't like he'd miss the couch Luffy was currently asleep on. That thing was annoyingly uncomfortable.

Maybe asking Luffy first would be a good starting point. After all, this was about where he felt most comfortable sleeping. He also had to find a place for Luffy's clothes unless the boy wanted to keep them in bags. If only he had been home longer yesterday then he could have figured these things out sooner. That reminded him. He needed to have a talk with his manager today at work about Luffy. But, he wasn't sure what Luffy would do while he was at work.

Zoro finished up his shower and returned to his bedroom after drying off and wrapping his towel around his waist. He dug around for his school uniform and changed into it. He briefly glanced at the current time, noting that they had a fair amount of time left until they would have to leave, but if Luffy wanted breakfast then he should be getting up now. Zoro left his bedroom, walking into the livingroom. He walked around the couch, an amused expression taking over his features. Luffy definitely moved around a lot when he slept. His blanket wasn't even halfway on him. The majority of it was in the floor. His hair was a mess and he had one arm completely off the couch. His other hand rested on his stomach and his legs were tangled in what little of the blanket was actually covering his body, but Zoro could see that one of his feet were sticking out of the blanket at the end of the couch, and his lips were parted just the slightest bit as he slept quietly. The sight was almost too adorable for him to disturb.

The older crouched down and shook Luffy's shoulder. "Luffy, wake up."

Luffy mumbled incoherently and turned onto his side, snuggling into his pillow. Zoro stared at the sleeping boy, his attention drawn to that little scar beneath Luffy's left eye. He lightly trailed his finger along it. Luffy didn't even stir from the touch. His eyes traveled down Luffy's face to his lips, and his fingers followed, brushing over them. He traced the seam of Luffy's lips with his finger, watching curiously as that prompted a small reaction from the younger.

He was so caught up in lazily watching Luffy that he didn't have enough time to move his hand before the other parted his lips and bit his finger in the spot right before his nail. Oh, that was lovely. Did Luffy think his finger was food in his sleep? Zoro attempted to tug his finger away from Luffy's mouth, but that only succeeded in making Luffy bite down harder on the appendage. Huh, that was interesting. Zoro wiggled his finger, trying in vain to free it from between Luffy's teeth. Eventually, he gave up when Luffy didn't release it. Then, he realized that by just sitting here waiting for the younger to release his finger, he was wasting time in trying to get Luffy awake, so he settled for attempting to pry Luffy's teeth apart, which didn't really work, and only proved in getting his fingers wet with Luffy's saliva. How nice. Zoro wiped his fingers off on his pants and returned to Luffy.

This kid had some strong teeth, especially if he managed to do this in his _sleep_. Zoro frowned. He wanted his finger back dammit. He tugged his arm back really hard, this time succeeding in pulling his finger from Luffy's teeth. He glanced down at it, noting the obvious teeth marks embedded in his skin. Luffy made a small noise and Zoro looked back at him. The younger blearily opened his eyes, looking at Zoro, but not exactly seeing him just yet. He closed his eyes again, intending on going back to sleep.

Zoro shook Luffy again. "You have to get up, Luffy."

Luffy groaned. "S'too early." He trailed off into a mumble, not want to wake up.

"It's supposed to be early. We have school."

"Mm-hmm…" Luffy pressed his face into his pillow and lay there, unmoving.

Zoro sighed. He hoped that this was a onetime thing and it usually didn't take this much effort to wake Luffy up. Well, force was always a good way to handle things, so he was going to use it. He grabbed Luffy under the arms and lifted the younger off of the couch easily. "No more sleeping." He told the other as he made Luffy stand up.

Luffy didn't understand why he was so tired, but he was, so since he no longer had the couch to rest on, he chose the next best thing. Which was Zoro. He dropped his head onto the other's shoulder, slouching most of his weight on him. He draped one arm over Zoro's opposite shoulder and wrapped the other around Zoro's back. "M'tired." He mumbled into the elder's neck.

"I can see that." Zoro replied flatly. Luffy was a worse morning person than he was. "But, you have to get ready, so…" Zoro grabbed Luffy by the waist and hoisted him over his shoulder. "off to shower."

Luffy allowed Zoro to carry him to the bathroom. He was too tired to protest to being carried in such a way. When Zoro reached the bathroom, he put Luffy down. Luffy held on to one of Zoro's sleeves and rubbed his eyes with his other hand. Zoro pulled Luffy's hand away from his shirt. "Go ahead and shower. I'll get your clothes and toothbrush." Luffy nodded and yawned. Zoro left the other, closing the door behind him. He went to Luffy's bags and began the task of finding Luffy's uniform and toothbrush. He also pulled out a comb when he ran across it just in case Luffy needed to use that for his hair. Once he had Luffy's clothing, he retrieved a towel for the younger to use for when he was finished with his shower.

After all of that, he headed back to the bathroom, opening the door a crack to make sure Luffy was actually in the shower before he walked in. He didn't want to walk in on Luffy undressing or anything like that. He could hear that the shower was on, so he opened the door the rest of the way and stepped in the room to put Luffy's clothes and things in there. Luffy must have been out of it still because he didn't say anything to Zoro before the older teen left the bathroom to go into the kitchen.

While Luffy showered, Zoro set to finding himself something to eat. Luffy could get something when he finished up, and then they could leave soon after that. By the time he finished eating, Luffy emerged from the bathroom, towel drying his hair with both hands, and holding his comb between his teeth. "What do you want to eat?"

Luffy looked around and pointed at a box of cereal. Speaking with a comb between your teeth could be difficult. Zoro retrieved the box and handed it to Luffy, trading it for the towel Luffy had on his head. He went to put the towel with the other dirty laundry while Luffy pulled the comb from his mouth to brush out his hair real fast, and then worked on making his breakfast. Now that he thought about food, what was he supposed to do for lunch at school? "What about lunch?" He asked Zoro when he returned back to the kitchen.

"We'll buy you something." Zoro replied. "But, I have work after school, so what do you want to do?"

The younger paused in eating to think about that. He didn't much like the idea of staying at the apartment alone. "I can stay at the hospital!"

"You sure you want to do that? You'd be there until tonight."

"It's fine. I won't be bored."

"Then, I'll take you there and pick you up at nine-thirty."

Luffy chewed the last pieces of his cereal. "That works!" He proceeded to drink the rest of the milk after that. "I'll probably have homework I can do anyway, and I don't mind spending a lot of time with Ace."

"As long as you don't care." Zoro glanced down at his watch. "You should get your shoes and bag. We need to get going."

Luffy put his dishes in the sink and did as such, having to dig through some of his bags before he could actually locate his shoes. After he did that, Zoro grabbed his own things and they left for school. Luffy was excited to see his friends, but he honestly wasn't excited about the school work. He knew he had more to do because of missing school Friday and he wasn't looking forward to that, but as long as Zoro or someone helped him with it, he'd get through it.

Because they arrived at school together, Zoro decided he'd accompany Luffy to his first period. "I'll see you next period." Zoro told the other when they reached the door to Luffy's classroom. He ruffled Luffy's hair affectionately, and started to turn to walk to his own first period when a hand gripped his shirt stopped him.

"Wait, Zoro." He turned back to Luffy who grinned really big before giving Zoro a quick kiss on the lips. Zoro was a bit shocked at first that Luffy would do something like that where people could see. He honestly didn't care if someone did see, but it was still surprising to him. This time Luffy moved to enter his classroom, but Zoro figured he should return that kiss, so he grabbed Luffy's wrist and pulled the younger closer, leaning down the little bit that he had to, to place a kiss on Luffy's forehead. Luffy giggled at the contact.

"Okay, so I really have to go now." Zoro smiled back at Luffy.

The other nodded. "I know!"

Zoro left to his own first period, and Luffy went into his classroom. Nami, Vivi, and Usopp happened to be sitting with each other, both of the girls doing more of the talking than Usopp was, but the second they all noticed Luffy, they jumped out of their seats.

"Where were you Friday, Luffy?" Usopp asked, confused.

"Is everything okay?.! Mr. Bushido wasn't as school either. Was he with you?"

"Why'd you leave school in second period last week?" Nami asked, more curious than anything, but she'd also been concerned about Luffy when he didn't show up at school Friday.

Luffy smiled at his friend's obvious concern about him. "Zoro and I were at the hospital to see Ace. He got in this accident and was hurt really bad."

"Is he okay?" Vivi asked, worriedly.

"Not right now exactly. He has a lot of injuries, and," Luffy paused. It felt strange saying the words he planned to say next. "he's in a coma." He found those last words difficult to say aloud. He wasn't necessarily upset, but the news was still fresh in his mind, so it was tough trying to tell someone else, especially three people.

Needless to say, the other three were shocked by that news. Whatever it was they were expecting, it hadn't been that. Vivi covered her mouth with a hand. "That's terrible. I don't know what to say."

"Is there anything we can do?" Nami asked. She was probably the greediest person her friends knew, but Luffy was her friend, and this wasn't any ordinary situation. There was no doubt that Luffy was disheartened, and more so, by the condition his brother was in.

Usopp agreed with Nami. "Yeah, is there anything we can help with?"

Luffy truly appreciated his friend's generosity in wanting to help out if they could, but he felt that there wasn't much that they could do. The thought made him feel kind of bad, but there was no denying that it was true. He smiled reassuringly at them. "There isn't much anyone can do, but that's okay because Zoro's helped with a lot of things."

"Does that mean Mr. Bushido was with you Friday?"

Luffy nodded at Vivi. "I have to live with him until Ace is out of the hospital, which could be a while."

"You're living with Zoro?.!" Usopp shouted, clearly surprised. That particular exclamation caught the attention of a few students nearby, and they glanced at the group of four curiously.

"Is that true?" Nami asked in slight disbelief.

"Yep!" Luffy grinned, pretty much oblivious to the other's shock.

Vivi smiled. "I think that's great, Luffy."

"What's it like living with him?" Usopp inquired.

Luffy shrugged. "It's normal, I guess. Why?"

Nami smirked to herself as she listened to Luffy talk. That piece of information was interesting.

"I just thought it might be weird, you know? This _is _Zoro we're talking about here."

"You're still talking about him like he isn't human or something." Nami remarked to Usopp causally.

"I don't mean it that way!"

"Luffy, are you sure there's nothing at all we can help with?" Vivi asked, her face showing that she was still very concerned about the dark haired teen.

Luffy's grin widened. "I'm sure!" After his exclamation, the bell signaling the beginning of first period sounded. Luffy's eyes wandered to the front of the classroom where Miss Robin was preparing to start her lesson for that class period. He turned his attention back to Vivi. "Well… could you catch me back up with what I missed?" He asked, feeling a bit sheepish.

Vivi smiled in return. "Of course."

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><p>The second forth period ended that day, Luffy was so excited that he unintentionally ditched Usopp in favor of finding Zoro. When Luffy arrived at the cafeteria, he spotted Zoro, who apparently looked to be waiting for him. "Zoro! I'm starving!" He exclaimed upon running up to the older teen.<p>

Zoro expected something of the sort. "Let's get something to eat then." He began walking to one of the few lunch lines and Luffy followed behind a ways until he came to walk beside Zoro instead. This was actually the very first time Luffy had ever eaten the school's food. He hoped it didn't taste horrid or anything.

Once the two got their food and Zoro paid for it, they left the building to go sit in their usual lunch spot. Both were confused to see that no one else was there yet. "They'll probably be here soon." Luffy remarked, sitting down on the grass.

Zoro joined Luffy on the ground. "Wouldn't bother me if that damn cook didn't show up." He muttered more to himself in general.

"If they don't show up, at least we can eat together." The younger stated as he rummaged through his lunch and munched on some of it.

That was true. He preferred to eat with just Luffy rather than everyone else, but if they joined, he wouldn't protest against it. Because he'd been around them so long, at least that was what he guessed was the reason, he had become a lot more accepting of the others being around, except Sanji. He didn't want anything to do with that bastard, especially after that whole volleyball incident. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that someone was stupid enough to legitimately think they could play that game by serving the damn ball with a kick. As far as he was concerned, Sanji only managed to prove his point when he said that the cook was a complete idiot. Luffy didn't seem to care about it, but he was not Luffy. He'd hold that over that blond haired bastard's head for as long as he could.

Anyway, enough thinking of Sanji. He disliked seeing that man's face and hearing his name, let alone thinking about him. Zoro chose to eat his own lunch as well, every now and again randomly giving Luffy something he wasn't particularly interested in eating. The younger finished off his food and turned, so that he could rest his back against the side of Zoro's shoulder and arm. He absently wondered where their friends could be. It was strange that not a single one had joined them to eat yet. Maybe they were a little late today or something.

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><p>Nami dragged Vivi along with her near the spot where they ate lunch with everyone. The only difference between today and any other day they came out here to eat was that for one, Nami was pulling Vivi with her, and two, they were hiding behind a tree because that was where Nami had dragged her. Vivi didn't quite understand why they were hiding behind a tree that had a very clear view of both Zoro and Luffy. "Nami, what are we-"<p>

"Shh!" Nami held a finger to her lips. "Zoro might hear us if you talk that loud!" She whispered to the other girl.

Vivi lowered her voice. "But, why are we hiding?"

Nami turned back to watch Luffy and Zoro. "Just keep watching. Something's bound to happen. Luffy said he's living with Zoro now, right? And, you should have seen the way Zoro acted in second period Thursday before Luffy left. Not to mention, he was with Luffy Friday at the hospital. I'm trying to see if I can catch what's going on between these two."

The blue haired girl gave Nami a weird look, but went along with it. She too turned her attention to the two teenagers sitting together. Both simply watched them for a few minutes in silence, but nothing exciting was really happening. Vivi opened her mouth to ask Nami if this was actually a good idea, when she was cut off by an overly obnoxious voice. "Nami-swan! Vivi-chwan!"

Nami tensed and turned to glare at Sanji who happened to be running over to them. The very second he reached both girls, Nami clamped her hand over the blond's mouth. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Shut your mouth if you can't be quiet!"

"Sanji? Have you seen Lu- oh, wait there he is." Usopp had joined their group seconds after Sanji had and was about to walk over to where Zoro and Luffy were sitting, but Nami used her other hand to grab the back of his shirt before he could get any further. She pulled him behind the tree. "What the hell?.!" He shouted at her, confused by her actions and slightly irritated.

"Stop shouting!" She shouted in a whisper. The redhead had her back pressed against the tree, and turned her head to look over at Luffy and Zoro. Apparently they hadn't noticed a thing, which was good for her. She turned back to Usopp and Sanji, one of which looked annoyed, and the other was stuck between admiring how beautiful Nami looked when she was angry and being confused about the situation.

"Why are we hiding behind a tree?" Usopp asked, looking at Nami for the answer.

Vivi replied instead. "It's Nami's idea. Just go along with it."

Usopp frowned, but stayed behind the tree. Nami was glad that she had picked a large tree, otherwise this plan would have failed at the beginning. When she was fairly certain that Sanji wouldn't start being loud again, she removed her hand from his mouth. It took him a few minutes to recover, but when he managed to, he also turned his attention to stare at Zoro and Luffy from a distance.

Vivi and Nami were huddled next to each other with their hands resting against the bark of the tree as they each peered around either side of the tree. Sanji stood behind Nami, looking around the same side as her while Usopp joined Vivi. The two guys had no idea what they were supposed to be expecting or looking for, but because it was Nami's idea, it was better not to question it.

After standing there for several more minutes, Usopp's annoyance was beginning to increase. He didn't know why the hell they were spying on Zoro and Luffy, nor did he care. "This is stupid. I'm leaving."

Nami automatically reached out and grabbed his arm to prevent him from walking away. "If they see you, this whole plan is screwed, so stay put!"

"And, what do you think will possibly happen between them that's worth standing here spying… on them.. for…." Usopp trailed off, his mouth gaping open in surprise. He got closer to Vivi to get a better look at what he was seeing. When he had first started watching them, Luffy was leaning against Zoro, which wasn't something that looked unusual. What was so unusual, that he could hardly believe his eyes, was that Luffy had given Zoro a glare for some reason – they were too far away to hear anything that was being said – and it looked like it had something to do with the fact that Luffy wanted the last bite of Zoro's lunch. Anyway, the part that had shocked all four of them into silence was when Zoro popped what appeared to be a French fry halfway in his mouth and smirked at Luffy. The best – or worst, whichever you prefer – part of this scene was when Luffy lunged at the older teen and took the other half of the fry sticking out of Zoro's mouth in his own mouth. They watched as Luffy sat back and swallowed the food, only to lean back over and plant a very obvious kiss on Zoro's lips. "What… was that?"

All of them, with the exceptions of Nami, had looks of utter shock and surprise on their faces. Nami was smirking at the scene. _This_ was why she chose to hide and spy on the two. "Ah-hah! I knew it!" She yelled, jumping from behind the tree.

"So.. Mr. Bushido was the one Luffy was talking about then…"

"This is great. Now, I have something to torment marimo about."

"That advice I gave Luffy… was for Zoro…?"

"What did I tell you, Vivi?.!" Nami shouted, grinning from one side of the face to the other.

The blue haired girl peered around the tree and glanced over at Nami warily. "Uh… Nami…"

Sanji suddenly busted out laughing and pointed at Zoro as he stepped out from behind the tree as well. Nami placed her hands on her hips, facing Luffy and Zoro who obviously heard her loud exclamation and Sanji's laugher, and were now looking over at them. Luffy blinked while Zoro looked like he could kill every single person over there. "I… d-didn't know… marimo… hahaha… oh God!" Sanji was holding his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably.

Luffy turned to Zoro and pouted. "Zorrooo! Make Sanji stop laughing! What's so funny?"

"Nothing's funny, it's just him being a dumbass." Zoro replied extra loudly, emphasizing the word 'dumbass.'

Sanji happened to overhear that and stopped laughing. "Hey, shut the fuck up, you goddamn moss head!" The blonde shouted and proceeded to advance toward Zoro.

Nami pulled on the back of Sanji's shirt. "Don't even start. I found out what I wanted to know, we don't need fighting."

"Nami!" Sanji clasped his hands together and spun around to face the girl.

Vivi and Usopp also stepped out from behind the tree. When they did, Zoro snapped his attention to them. This was just great. Vivi felt slightly ashamed for spying on an intimate moment like that, and her face tinged a light pink at having witnessed it _and _for Zoro to see that she had. Usopp was still working on processing what exactly was going on here.

Nami approached Luffy and Zoro, smirking. "So… is there anything the both of you would like to tell us?"

Zoro glared at the girl. "I don't see why it's your business."

"I thought you said you didn't care?" Luffy asked, turning his head to look at the older teen.

"I don't, but she could've _asked _instead of spying on us from behind a _tree_."

"They were spying?.!" Luffy exclaimed, sounding extremely surprised by that.

Nami lightly bumped Luffy on the head with her fist. "What else would we be doing?.!"

Luffy looked up at her and shifted his eyes. "I don't know…"

The redhead smirked down on Luffy. "Now, what's going on?"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy cocked his head to the side in confusion.

Nami sighed and slapped him upside the head. "With you and Zoro, duh!"

Luffy rubbed the spot where she hit him. "You don't have to hit me, you know."

"Nami…" Zoro warned the other. Nami could be violent, but that didn't mean she had to go hitting Luffy because he simply didn't understand something right away. Especially if he was around to witness it.

The girl waved her hand. "I get it. Zoro's overprotective and Luffy's as airheaded as usual. But, there is something going on, right?"

"Oh! Zoro and me? Yeah, there is!" Luffy forgot all about Nami hitting him and grinned, wrapping his arms around Zoro's neck.

Vivi also approached the two with Usopp following behind her. Sanji joined by Nami's side. "This is unexpected, to say the least." The blue haired teen stated.

Nami looked to Vivi. "Is it that surprising? I mean just look at them!"

"We're right here." Zoro pointed out, but was mostly ignored. Luffy giggled and pressed a little kiss to the older teen's cheek.

Usopp glanced away at Luffy's show of affection. Nami lifted an eyebrow at him. "What's up with you? You're not a homophobe are you? Because-"

"What the fuck?.!" Zoro glared at the redhead again. He didn't exactly appreciate Nami assuming he was gay because of something like this. Even he wasn't sure on what grounds he stood with his sexuality, but he would come to that conclusion on his own!

Usopp shot a glare at Nami as well. "No! It's just strange, is all. Not in a bad way though. It'll take getting used to, is what I'm saying!"

"Okay! Okay! It's obvious what's going on here! I won't say anymore about it." Nami dropped down onto the grass, and the other three sat down with her. "Except, when did this happen?"

Zoro did not want to go through this. Why did Nami always insist on knowing others personal business? "Why do you want to know?" He asked. Seriously, what was the point in knowing something like that? Well, she was a girl, but still, she was being too nosey.

"Is there something wrong with asking?" She retorted, beginning to feel slightly aggravated.

Sanji gave Zoro a dirty look. "Don't speak to Nami in that kind of tone."

"Shut your face, curly brow. No one wants to hear you."

"What was that?.!"

"Oh, are you deaf too, jackass? I'm not repeating myself because you can't hear me the first time!"

"Would you both shut up for once?.!" Nami yelled. Every time they started something like this, it pissed her off.

While Zoro and Sanji argued, Luffy turned around to face Zoro. More like Zoro's legs actually, because he wanted to sit between them, but Zoro had them crossed, so he tried to pull them apart. Zoro stopped arguing when he felt his legs move, and he looked down at Luffy curiously. The younger managed to uncross his legs and placed his hands on Zoro's thighs to steady himself while he worked on moving to sit with his back against the older's chest. That was one way to go about getting what you wanted…

Luffy tilted his head back to look at Zoro's face and grinned at him. "I like this spot."

Vivi suddenly laughed. "You two are the cutest."

"Maybe Luffy, but the same can't be said for marimo." Sanji remarked casually.

"What are you trying to say?" Zoro glowered at Sanji.

"What?" Sanji paused for a few seconds, but then he understood, and he smirked at Zoro. "Someone's jealous."

"Jealous of who? You? Yeah right. In your dreams, shitty cook."

"No, you don't like that I agreed that Luffy was being cute." Zoro's eyebrow twitched when Sanji said that. Luffy and the word cute in the same sentence coming from that mouth was not something he wanted to hear.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself. I don't want to hear them."

"I'll say whatever the hell I want. It's not my fault you don't like it."

Zoro was going to respond to that with a smartass comment of his own, but stopped when he felt Luffy grip his wrist. The boy held his arm up to look at the watch on his wrist. "What are you doing?"

Luffy let go of Zoro's arm. "Seeing what time it is. When does lunch end?"

The older teen glanced at the time. "A few minutes."

Luffy looked disappointed. "Only that much time left?" Zoro nodded and Luffy stretched his arms. "Then, I'm staying right here until it's over." He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back against Zoro.

Nami turned to Usopp who had been unusually quiet for the past few minutes. Usopp was looking at Zoro and Luffy as if he were scrutinizing them or something. Nami sighed. "Is this that hard to accept?"

Usopp looked to her, brows furrowed. "I said it wasn't! I'm trying to adjust to it. It's helping so leave me alone."

Nami said nothing and everyone else ignored him too. Usopp simply went back to trying to get used to this picture and they spent the rest of lunch talking with the occasional small argument thrown in here and there courtesy of Zoro and Sanji. In a way, Luffy was glad that his friends knew about him and Zoro. It was nice so they wouldn't have to hide it from the others.

* * *

><p>The remainder of the school day went by as it normally did. Luffy and Sanji had a conversation in seventh period where it was brought up that Luffy was living with Zoro and that he was going to the hospital after school, in which also brought up Ace's condition, so Sanji now knew about that. Luffy had only planned on telling his friends about what happened. His teachers may have known too since it was important that they have an idea of what's been going on, but they hadn't said anything to him about it, so he wasn't sure.<p>

It was decided that Zoro would take Luffy to the hospital and the younger would stay there until later that evening until Zoro got off work and could pick him back up. That gave Luffy approximately five or so hours to be with Ace and he probably wouldn't be able to stay longer than that because of visiting hours. He had make up work and homework to do, and that would keep him busy for an hour or two, maybe even longer if he got stuck on certain parts.

The school day was over and Zoro had dropped him off at the hospital a few minutes ago. After Zoro left, Luffy walked further toward the building, absently rubbing his exposed arms. Fall was creeping up and the temperature would drop ever so little each day. Today, there happened to be a light breeze as well, and the air tickled his skin, causing some goosebumps to arise. He bet that outside felt nicer than inside of the hospital though. Those places were so cold, it was ridiculous. Perhaps he should have thought to bring some sort of jacket with him this morning.

Luffy walked up to the front desk once he entered the building, telling the woman behind it that he was there to visit Ace for a few hours. Once that was done, Luffy was able to go back to the ICU. They hadn't moved Ace's room or anything, so it was the same one he had been going to for the past couple days. He walked in and placed his bag on the back of the chair, next to Ace's bed, out of the way, taking a seat in it shortly after. He grabbed the elder's hand, not even thinking about it because he'd done it so much. "It's just me today, Ace." He told the other, breaking the silence in the room. He wasn't sure if Ace could hear him or would ever remember anything he said, but he felt comfortable talking to him despite that.

"Zoro has work and so I'm staying here for a few hours. But, I don't know if I'll be able to visit as much as I want soon." Luffy glanced down to their hands, absently letting his fingers run over Ace's own as he talked. "I asked Shanks and he said no, but Zoro told me that I can get a job, and if I do, I won't have enough time to come here every day. Shanks said he'd stop in every week, so maybe you won't feel too lonely when that happens."

Luffy didn't say anything else for a bit, choosing to sit there and brush his fingers over Aces. After a while, he spoke up again. "I'm actually handling this a lot better than I thought I would. I guess it's better that I listened to Shanks and did what he said. And, Zoro. He said that you wouldn't want me to be really upset, which is true. I guess he knows you a little more than you might have thought." Luffy smiled as he thought about all that Zoro and Shanks had done for him. "Zoro's letting me live with him too until you're better. And, you know how you kept telling me that I should tell him all about how much I like him?" Luffy paused once more before continuing. "Some stuff happened and it turned out that Zoro likes me very much. He's been so nice and has done a lot for me."

The thing that Luffy liked the most about being here by himself with Ace was that it was just the two of them, and he could tell Ace anything. He could pause and stop talking as much as he wanted and talk to him just like he would if Ace were awake to hear him at this very moment. And, who knows, maybe he somehow could. Again, Luffy wouldn't know if Ace was able to hear him talk, but he felt calmer when he could converse with his brother even if said brother couldn't respond back to him.

"I wish you could see how much Zoro's helped, but that's okay because I can always tell you again when you wake up. I actually have a lot to tell you! I can talk about that stuff now too, but just in case you don't remember, I'll be sure to tell you all about everything again when you're awake. I bet I'll have tons to say!"

Luffy stopped talking for a few minutes to stare at Ace's face. He looked back down when he began speaking. "It's still tough not having you around though, so get better and wake up soon, kay? Zoro and Shanks can take care of me in the meantime, but I still want my big brother.

"I also remembered that besides Zoro, you haven't gotten to meet any of my other friends, so I really want you to meet them. I went back to school today and they were worried when I told them what happened. They made lunch fun too." Luffy laughed. "They spied on me and Zoro. I don't know why… but, anyways, I get to stay here for a whole five more hours! I should probably do my homework, but I can still talk. It makes me feel better."

Soon after that, Luffy decided it would be best to do his work early, so if he happened to have trouble with it, he'd have plenty of time to finish all of it before Zoro picked him up. He turned and opened his bag, reaching inside to grab some of his work. He'd tried his best to pay attention in his classes today so he would understand how to do it. He just hoped he could remember everything or at least most of it.

Once he got further into it, it sort of reminded him of when he'd come home from Ace's work after school and the elder would make him sit down and do all of his work, helping him with anything he needed help with. This was different in the sense that Ace couldn't help him if he got stuck, but it brought back a familiar feeling. He'd always hated homework, but Ace was so smart and he made it easier to understand, which made Luffy feel like he wouldn't mind doing it as much.

By the time he finished all of his school work, it was a few hours later. It took so long mostly because the work he missed on Friday, he didn't understand that well, but he worked through it, trying his hardest on it because Ace had told him that it was better to at least attempt it and try as much as you could rather than not trying at all, and if he didn't do his work, his grades would slip, which wasn't a good thing.

He had a good two and a half hours left before visiting hours would be over, so he may as well spend it talking to Ace some more since he had all of that work out of the way. And, that was exactly what he did, talking about anything he could think of, even if they were random things, but mostly about things that Ace hadn't been around to hear about because of his current state. Luffy didn't care what he talked about, as long as he could talk to Ace. That was all that mattered to him.

* * *

><p>The restaurant that Zoro worked at was not necessarily the most expensive restaurant, but it did cost a good chuck of change to buy anything from there, so it could be considered a very fancy place. Many wealthy people tended to eat there. Zoro had accepted the job as a waiter because it did pay a lot more than some ordinary middle class restaurant would. And, all he had to do was ask for orders and bring food to people's tables. Every now and again he ended up having to clean some tables and things like that, but it was definitely worth that pay. He wouldn't complain about his job at all. The only reasons why he tended to get exhausted from it was because he was on his feet almost the whole entire time and being around so many people at once could wear him down a little.<p>

He could deal with those things for the pay he received. What he typically did when he had work on school days was stop at home to change into his uniform and eat something small. He had work an hour after school ended which gave him just enough to time to do all of that and get to work. Dropping Luffy off at the hospital didn't really delay him or anything, which was good because that may end up happening a few more times.

Now that he was thinking about Luffy, he hoped the other way doing fine by himself at the hospital. He also remembered about how Luffy had mentioned that he wanted a job. Zoro had been highly considering speaking to his manager about that. The worse that would happen is Luffy wouldn't get it and then they'd just have to find him a different job. Zoro just wasn't sure if Luffy was capable of working in a restaurant, especially one as nice as this.

He didn't doubt the kid too much, because Luffy was most certainly a people person. Luffy would have no problem speaking to customers, but his habit with food wasn't something Zoro wanted to have to constantly deal with. It would be just like Luffy to try and eat some of the food he served, and sometimes he could he clumsy. But, as long as he could keep an eye on him – that is if Luffy even got the job. He knew he was thinking too far into this, but it was necessary – then, there shouldn't be too many problems.

They could always give it a shot, and if it didn't work, that was okay. There were plenty more jobs out there to choose from. On Zoro's next break, he decided to have a little talk with his manager about it. Luffy seemed to want a job really bad, and the faster he could say something about it, the faster they could go about getting him one, even if it wasn't this one.

When his break came around, he went into the back to the manager's office. He didn't exactly speak to the man very often despite that he was a very friendly guy. There was just not much for them to ever converse about. Zoro knocked on the manager's office door. He could distinctly hear the man shout 'Come in!' through the door.

Zoro pushed the door open, stepping inside. This was one of the couple times he'd ever been in this room. He only came here every once in a while when his manager wanted to discuss his paycheck and things like that. His manager was a large man, with sky blue hair, who enjoyed dressing in Hawaiian printed shirts. He was not what you would expect of a normal manager, and definitely not a manager of a nice restaurant like this. He made it known that everyone was to refer to him by his first name. He disliked formal titles, like being called manager all of the time.

When workers are first employed here, they find themselves pretty surprised by the man and his personality. He liked to build things as well, so a lot of the time you could find him in his office working on making some sort of contraption. Zoro had no idea why this man was a manager when he liked doing those kinds of things and was very good at it, but he always chose not to question it.

Zoro closed the door behind him, skipping out on any formal greetings. That wasn't his forte and neither was it his manager's. "Zoro! What are you doing here? You never come by for the hell of it."

The teen approached the man's desk, taking a seat in the chair placed in front of it. "Franky, I wanted to talk to you about something. I only have until my break's over though."

Franky leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other on his desk. "I'm listening."

"I have a friend who wants a job."

"A friend?" Zoro nodded and Franky smirked. "Just a friend?" The younger didn't reply to that. "Because I know for any other person, Roronoa Zoro wouldn't come asking me about letting them have a job."

"He's a close friend." Zoro went with that instead.

"What's his name?"

"Luffy."

Franky held a hand to his chin. "Hm, I like that name. Sounds interesting already. Tell me more about him."

Zoro didn't question anything his manager said, choosing to simply tell him what he wanted to know. "He's very playful, eats a lot, can be clumsy, says some of the stupidest things at times, and is overall an idiot sometimes."

The older man laughed. "Sounds like my kind of employee. You know, I never like those boring ones. Any reason why he wants to work here?"

"He wants to work here because I do, but he generally just wants some kind of job. His brother is in the hospital from a car accident and he needs money. He's seventeen, which makes it harder for him to find a job."

Franky seemed to ponder over the information Zoro had given him for a minute. "Okay. Bring him in this week. I want to meet him. We'll see how things go from there. Oh, but here." Franky reached over to a pile of papers and pulled an application from it. "He still needs to fill this out." He handed the paper to Zoro who accepted it. "That all you wanted to say?"

"Pretty much."

"Super! I can't wait to meet this Luffy!"

Zoro headed to the door. "I'll bring him with me in the next few days."

The teen then left Franky's office. He had a little bit more time left until his break was over, and then another hour until his shift was over. Overall, he felt good that Franky seemed to take an interest in Luffy. But, if the kid did manage to get this job, then they had a lot to talk about that was for sure.

* * *

><p>Nine o'clock rolled around too soon and Luffy was told by a nurse that he'd have to leave since visiting hours were officially over. He'd smiled at her, told Ace goodbye, and left, choosing to sit outside of the hospital and wait for Zoro there, so that the older teen wouldn't have to go inside to look for him. He knew he would be stuck out there waiting for at least half an hour because Zoro had said he wouldn't be able to pick him up until nine-thirty.<p>

Luffy got comfortable on the ground and waited patiently. He didn't have much to do while waiting that would make time go faster, so he settled for looking around, watching as the sky began to turn darker and the sun started to set further. At this rate, by the time Zoro got there, it would be dark.

He watched a few people walk by every few minutes or so and other things that happened to catch his eye. Eventually, he lost track of time and had no idea how long he had been waiting out there until he heard footsteps getting closer to him, and looked up to see the exact person he was waiting for.

Zoro assumed he would be going inside of the hospital to get Luffy, so he parked his car, but it looked like the younger chose to wait outside instead. "What are you doing out here waiting?" He asked as he lent a hand to help Luffy up.

The younger grinned. "I just wanted to, that's all."

Zoro placed a hand against Luffy's left cheek. "It's cold out here. You're face is cold too."

"But, it's colder in the hospital." The other retorted.

Zoro returned Luffy's grin. "I guess so. Come on, let's go home." He held out a hand and Luffy grabbed it, allowing Zoro to walk him to his car. "I talked to my manager today about you."

"Really?.!"

The elder nodded. "He told me he wants to meet you. I'll be taking you to meet him this week if that's okay with you."

"I can't wait! Do you think I might get a job?" Luffy asked, excited.

Zoro shrugged. "Maybe. He acted like he likes you from what I told him."

"What'd you tell him about me?"

Zoro smirked down at the younger teen. "Just that you're clumsy and you eat a lot. Plus, some other things."

Luffy pouted. "How is that going to get me a job?.!"

"He wanted me to describe you, so I did."

"You could have told him other things." Luffy mumbled.

"What other things?"

"I don't know! Like, that I'm the most awesome person you know or how cool I am." Zoro couldn't help but laugh at Luffy when he said that. The other scowled. "What?.!"

He waved a hand. "Nothing. You're just… you're much better than awesome, trust me."

Luffy blinked. "I am? Wait, yeah, I am! You know I'm so much more amazing, right?.! That's why you love me so much!"

Zoro opened Luffy's door when they reached his car. "Yeah, sure, let's go with that."

"It's true!"

"Mm-hm." Zoro closed the door and walked around to the driver's side. When he got in, he leaned over and gave the younger a kiss. "That's exactly why I love you so much."


	21. XXI: Job Interview And A Surprise

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: Haha, I've gotten a few reviews about how fast I update. I have two reasons for updating as fast as I do. One: I'm afraid that if I take too long to write this out, I'll fall out of the fandom in the middle of it and not ever finish it, and two: I have no social life, so I have plenty of time to write, write, write. And, that's exactly what I do! Anyway, here's the next chapter!

Warning: This chapter is rated M for content.

* * *

><p>"I always hated when Ace made me wear these clothes." Luffy complained as Zoro buttoned up his shirt nicely. Zoro pulled the tie he had resting over his shoulder off and began the process of tying it around the younger's neck.<p>

"They're the closest formal clothes you have. Just deal with them for a little bit and when we get back, you can change." The older teen finished tying Luffy's tie and pulled down the collar of his red dress shirt. "We need to leave soon, so put your shoes on. They're over there." Zoro pointed in the direction and went to locate his own shoes.

Luffy pouted when he saw which shoes Zoro wanted him to wear. They were those black dress shoes that he only wore one time. There was a reason why he only wore them one time too. They hurt his feet after a while and he just didn't like them. "Why can't I wear my sandals?"

Zoro slipped his shoes on and turned to Luffy. "Because sandals aren't what you want to wear when you try to get a job. They're not formal. You have to wear nice clothes when you work."

The younger really did not want to put those shoes on. He could deal with the shirt and pants, but not the shoes. "But, Ace wore his normal clothes to work. He even took his shirt off a lot when he worked too."

"All jobs are different, Luffy. Where did Ace work?"

Luffy thought back trying to remember the name of Ace's job. It was such a hard word for him to remember. "It started with a 'p,' but I don't remember the name! He works with fireworks!" Luffy stopped to think about it some more. "It was something-technician? Is that the right word?"

Zoro watched as Luffy tried his hardest to remember what it was called, but for the life of him, he couldn't. The elder pondered on it as well, until one particular word popped into his head. "Pyrotechnician?" He offered, unsure if that was really what Luffy was referring to.

"Yeah! That's what Ace said he was."

It was no wonder that Luffy didn't remember that. The kid had a limited vocabulary as it was."If it wasn't against the rules, he could do that at work, but the rules are different for each job, and at the restaurant I work at, you should wear really nice clothes, _including_ shoes."

Luffy glared at the shoes. "They hurt my feet."

Zoro sighed. He didn't want to go back and forth with Luffy about why he should wear nice shoes and not his sandals. "It won't hurt to wear them for an hour."

"Can I please wear my sandals instead?" Luffy practically begged the elder.

"Luffy-" The other approached Zoro and threw his arms around his neck, jumping up and locking his legs around Zoro's waist.

Zoro wasn't expecting that, so he wrapped his arms around Luffy's back to keep him from falling and set him with a stern look. Luffy only grinned back in response. "Can I?"

"It's only for an hour-"

"Pleaseeee?"

"Get down and put your shoes on."

"Only if I can wear my sandals."

"No."

"Yes!"

"We're going to be late."

"Then, don't make me wear those shoes and we won't be."

Zoro tried to pull Luffy off of him, but the other only held on tighter to him. "Am I going to have to forcefully put your shoes on?" He asked, exasperated with this situation.

Luffy blinked and then frowned. "Those shoes hurt!"

The older walked over with Luffy still attached to him and retrieved the shoes. "You have to wear them." He stated simply, managing to unhook Luffy's arms from around his neck. He pushed the younger backwards on the couch. Except since Luffy's had his legs around Zoro's waist, Zoro ended up having to straddle the young teen. He reached behind himself and gripped one of Luffy's ankles, attempting to pull it away from his body. "Why are you so difficult?" He asked the younger as he worked on trying to force the shoe on Luffy's foot from behind.

Luffy glared and tried to reach for Zoro's hand that was attempting to put the shoe on his foot. "Stop that!" Zoro got half of the shoe on before Luffy pried it back off his foot.

Even though Luffy kept pushing his hands away each time he tried to get the shoe on, he kept up at it because if he didn't get them on soon, they would be late. He noticed at one point when he almost got the whole thing on that the shoe was slightly smaller than Luffy's foot, which made it harder to actually put it on him, and would explain why they hurt his feet. But, they were the only pair that Luffy owned, so he was just going to have to suck it up and deal.

"Zoro! I don't want to wear-" Luffy's sentence was cut off as Zoro turned his head to look at him and kissed him, pressing Luffy farther into the couch. While he did this, he also resumed putting Luffy's shoe on his foot.

He got the whole shoe on this time and moved to Luffy's other foot, trying to pull that leg from his body as well. Luffy could feel that Zoro succeeded in getting that shoe on. It was tight and hurt his toes. He tried to push the older away from him, but Zoro wouldn't let go of his lips and it was hard to get that shoe off when Zoro had him completely on his back.

Luffy opened his eyes, only to see Zoro's own peering right back into his, his eyebrows drawn down the slightest bit. Luffy didn't care that Zoro was still kissing him; he wanted that damn shoe off. He reached an arm out, his eyes traveling to what he could see of his foot as he moved it closer to his hand. When his fingers brushed against the shoe, he tucked his fingers in it, ready to tear the thing off his foot, but Zoro's hand gripped his wrist and stopped his hand from moving.

The younger suddenly felt Zoro forcefully shove his tongue into his mouth and that faltered his actions considerably, distracting him from the shoe. It wasn't like he could move his hand with Zoro holding his wrist like that anyway. Luffy closed his eyes, feeling frustrated but good at the same time. Zoro shifted his own eyes over so he could try and see what he was doing as he put Luffy's other shoe on, which was an extremely difficult task considering the boy's foot was behind him and he couldn't turn his head to see what he was doing.

Zoro retracted his tongue when he got that shoe on. Luffy glared and kicked his foot against the couch. "Off! That was a dirty trick!" Luffy reached around Zoro to his foot, but the elder grabbed that hand as well, pinning it to the couch.

"Come on, Luffy. Just wear them." Luffy shook his head and tugged his other arm back trying to free it from Zoro's hand. After he tugged a few times, Zoro's grip loosed a little and he managed to end up freeing his arm. He made a small whining noise as he attempted to reach for one of his feet again. Zoro sighed and leaned down once more, capturing Luffy's lips again, but this time he also clamped the boy's nose too, so the younger would run out of breath faster. He figured it would be an easy way to get Luffy to stop reaching for his shoes.

And, it in fact, did stop Luffy from doing just that. The younger unintentionally opened his mouth for air, but Zoro used that to his advantage and turned his head to deepen the kiss all while still holding onto Luffy's nose, effectively cutting the younger's air supply. He didn't let up until several seconds later, pulling back and letting go of his nose.

Luffy breathed in and out deeply. He believed he just experienced a new method of suffocating someone, but he was not pleased to be on the opposing end of that. Zoro could be an ass sometimes. "What did I tell you?" Zoro asked, sitting back. Luffy didn't respond and crossed his arms over his chest. He was not a happy Luffy anymore. Zoro noticed his behavior and a part of him felt slightly guilty. "You don't want to be late, do you?"

The other shifted his eyes to Zoro and hesitated before shaking his head. He lifted one of his legs in the air and pointed at his foot. "They're tighter than they used to be."

Zoro glanced to Luffy's foot and squeezed the toe of the shoe, feeling Luffy's toes beneath the thick material. "Are they too tight or bearable? Because if they're bearable, you're wearing them, but if they really are way too small, then we'll find another pair."

Luffy experimentally moved his toes inside of the shoe. They were difficult to move and the shoes were tight. He'd had these for a few years, so it was understandable that he'd grow out of them at some point. When Zoro had said he needed nice clothing, they'd gone through all of his bags. After finding nothing, it was decided they would stop by Luffy and Ace's apartment after school to look for something. Luffy found his red, long sleeved dress shirt, as well as a decent pair of black trousers, and a tie from Ace's closet, which he wasn't sure as to why the elder had it if he couldn't tie them. The shoes were buried with a bunch of his old clothing that he didn't wear much and they were the only pair that Luffy owned that looked formal. There was no way he could borrow a pair of Ace's – if he had any – or Zoro's, because his feet were smaller than theirs. These shoes were his only choice and they didn't fit as good as they should.

"They're too uncomfortable. It'll hurt if I walk."

Okay, what were they supposed to do? They should be leaving right about now and Luffy apparently couldn't wear his shoes. Zoro's eyes traveled over the room as he thought about what they could do, and his gaze stopped on Luffy's pair of sandals lying in the floor. He sighed and got off the couch, going to retrieve them. He guessed Luffy would get to wear the things after all. Zoro dropped them on Luffy's chest, moving to pull the shoes off that he'd worked so hard putting on the boy. "These things are probably trash now." He stated as he tossed them into the floor. After that, he slipped Luffy's socks off, and the other moved his feet closer to put his sandals on. He moved his toes in them, feeling much more comfortable with them on. "We need to go." Zoro grabbed Luffy's hand and helped him off the couch.

"Okay!" Luffy followed Zoro out of the apartment and to the car. He was curious and excited the whole way to the restaurant where Zoro worked. He wanted to know what it looked like, but he was also feeling slightly nervous about it as well. He'd never had a job interview or anything like that before. Was this a job interview? Because Zoro didn't say that it was one just that his manager wanted to meet him. He wasn't sure what he was going to say or what Zoro's manager was like, but as long as Zoro was there with him, it couldn't be all that bad.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Luffy could tell from the outside that it was a pretty high quality restaurant. The cars parked outside of it were expensive looking as well. Zoro led him inside, which was so much nicer than the outside. It was very elegant and fancy. At least, it looked fancy to him. "This is really where you work?" He asked the older teen in slight awe. Zoro nodded as they walked further into the restaurant. Luffy continued to look around, admiring the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling and all of the interesting looking people who were dressed up nicely. Oh, and the food he saw as he passed some tables looked absolutely delicious. If he could eat that food, he definitely wanted to work here.

As Zoro took them to the back of the restaurant, Luffy was unable to continue salivating over the food further. Zoro stopped at a door and tapped his fist against it lightly before opening it. Franky was aware that he was bringing Luffy in today at this time, so there was no reason for him to stand around waiting for the older man to tell him to walk in. And, if Franky truly cared about an employee walking into his office like that, he would lock the door. The man just wasn't the kind of person to start fussing about someone walking into his office without him giving permission, unless he had some kind of problem with that person, and then the situation would be different. But, that could be said for a lot of people.

Anyway, Zoro stepped into the office with Luffy walking in behind him. Franky looked to be busying himself with something on his desk. Zoro couldn't see what it was, but he didn't care about it either. The blue haired man looked up at Zoro, grinning when he spotted the younger teen now standing beside him. "Zoro! How are you?" Franky stood from his seat and walked around the desk.

"I'm fine." Zoro replied simply. He gently tugged Luffy forward to stand before Franky. "This is Luffy."

The younger stared up at Franky, amazed by the man's hair. It was such an unnatural color and style, he kind of wondered if it was natural or not. He'd liked Zoro's hair at first too because of the color. He had yet to say anything to the other teen about whether that was his real hair color or not, but he assumed that somehow it was and forgot about it after that.

Franky held out his hand to Luffy. "The name's Franky."

Luffy blinked and reached out to shake his hand. Once Luffy got over the initial awe of Franky's unusual hair color and style, he grinned largely, blurting out his exact thoughts. "Your hair's so awesome!"

Zoro found that he wasn't as surprised by that comment as he probably should have been. But, still, what a way to greet someone you just met. Franky ran a hand through his hair and smirked. "You think so? I put a lot of time into it." Zoro felt like face palming. Why was it that every single person he knew was an idiot?

"Is it dyed?"

"Of course not! It's ALL natural!"

"That's so cool!"

"Hey, Zoro, I like this kid all ready! Where have you been hiding him? Huh?"

This hadn't exactly started off how Zoro expected it to, but he guessed it was a good thing that Franky liked Luffy. "Nowhere." He stated flatly. Were they just going to stand around and talk about Franky's hair or what?

"Ne, ne! How do you get your hair to stay up like that?.!"

"Well, you see, I start by-"

"_Why _are we talking about your hair?" Zoro asked the two. They both looked at him and blinked, probably wondering why he didn't see the obvious answer. "Can we get on with this or not?"

Luffy pouted at Zoro. "You're no fun, Zoro."

"This isn't supposed to be fun, Luffy."

"If it's not, then I can make it fun! Who likes boring things anyway?"

"I like the way this kid thinks." Franky said, joining in on the conversation. He looked to Luffy. "Zoro always likes things boring. At least here he does. The guy never has any fun!"

"Zoro IS like that!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning. "He sleeps a lot too. He's a boring person. Sometimes it's hard to get him to do something fun."

The older teen's eye twitched. How the hell had this conversation started to become about him? "So, he's like that usually? Zoro, man, you gotta start livin'!"

"I don't need to do anything."

"Boo, Zoro's boring." Luffy stuck his tongue out at the elder teen.

Zoro's eyes narrowed at Luffy. "I wouldn't continue doing that." Luffy kept his tongue out, using his finger to pull down the skin beneath his right eye. "I mean it."

"And, what are you gonna do?" He asked, except it came out sounding slurred because he still had his tongue out.

Franky laughed at the two teens. "Okay, because Zoro wants to so badly, we'll get started." Luffy retracted his tongue as Franky walked back around behind his desk. The other two took a seat in each chair opposite of the desk. "First, why do you want to work here?" He asked the youngest.

Luffy thought about it for a few seconds. Obviously, he wanted to work with Zoro and he needed a job to get money. But, he could do that at any other job. "I've never had a job before and I already like this restaurant. It's nicer than I expected. I just need a job really. Zoro likes it here, which means it's a good job!"

The older man looked amused at Luffy's attitude. It was always nice to have such energetic and happy employees. "What about communication skills?" At Luffy's slightly confused look, Franky elaborated. "Are you good at meeting new people and talking to them?"

The younger nodded. "I like meeting new people."

Zoro decided to get comfortable in his chair and closed his eyes, listening to Luffy's responses to the questions Franky asked him. This went on for a few minutes until Franky ran out of questions to ask. "Is that all?" Zoro asked, cracking open an eye.

Franky smirked. "One more question. How bad do you want this job?" He asked Luffy.

Luffy couldn't help but grin. "Really bad! Like, more than anything!"

"What if I said I like you so much that I'll give you a job?"

The younger let those words sink in for a few seconds before his jaw dropped. "You'd do that?.!"

"I don't get people like you asking for a job every day. I like your attitude, kid."

Luffy turned to Zoro and grabbed his arm. "Did you hear that, Zoro?.!"

"Yeah, I heard."

"I'm sure Zoro can get you a uniform. But, we need to figure out your hours."

Zoro leaned forward in his seat. It would be best if he talked to Franky about that rather than Luffy. "Is it possible for them to be the same as mine? Days don't really matter."

Franky thought it over for a few seconds. "That could work. You work five days a week, right?" Zoro nodded. "He'll have the same hours, but one day less to start out. So, four days a week from four to nine. That sound good?"

Zoro looked to Luffy and the younger nodded, agreeing to the hours. "What exactly do I do?" Luffy asked.

"All you have to do is show customers to their seats and clean up that table after they leave. Zoro can help you the first few days. You won't start until next Monday. Four days from today."

Luffy jumped out of his seat in excitement. "This is great! I'll make enough money to pay our bills at the apartment now! And, Shanks can just accept that!"

Zoro cracked a smile at Luffy's happiness. "Is that everything?" He asked Franky.

Franky nodded. "That's it. I think it's going to be pretty super having you around." He told Luffy. The younger giggled in response. "Just make sure you wear different shoes when you come in next week." Franky laughed and Luffy glanced down at his sandals. It did look odd wearing them with his black trousers, but he loved them all the same. Though, he understood the importance of having to abide by the dress code at work, so as long as Zoro bought him a new pair of shoes that fit, he wouldn't mind wearing them.

"I love my sandals." Luffy remarked with a silly smile on his face.

"I experienced your love for them earlier, I know." Zoro replied feeling slightly irritated about that whole situation that had occurred probably a little less than an hour ago.

"Can we go home now?" Luffy was ecstatic that he got the job, but it would be nice to change into more comfortable clothes.

"Yeah." Zoro looked to Franky. "Thanks. This job means a lot to him. Luffy will see you Monday and I have work tomorrow."

Franky smirked at the two. "Not a problem."

Zoro opened the door to Franky's office and Luffy turned to the man to wave. "Bye, Franky!"

After that, the two walked out of the restaurant, returning to Zoro's car. Zoro leaned down to give Luffy a little kiss on the lips before he got in the vehicle. "What do you know, you got a job on your first try."

"I can't wait to start!" Luffy exclaimed once he was in the car.

Zoro pulled out of the restaurant parking lot. "We'll get your uniform and shoes in the next few days. In the meantime, I have a bit of a surprise for you when we get home." The older smirked at his remark.

Luffy turned to him. "Really?.! What is it?.!"

"I can't tell you. You'll have to wait."

"You can't tell me something like that and expect me to wait!"

Zoro didn't bother to look at Luffy, choosing to focus on the road instead. "I could give it to you now, but I think you might want to wait until we get home."

Luffy was confused. "What's the difference between here and home?"

"Trust me, there is one. Just wait."

The younger crossed his arms and stared out the window. Fine, he'd wait, but Zoro had better tell him the second they got home.

Once Zoro's apartment building was in sight, Luffy decided to speak up again. "Can you tell me now?"

"Wait a little longer, okay?" Zoro's smirk remained as he asked that. Luffy didn't know if this was going to be a good or bad surprise, and the look on Zoro's face wasn't helping him try to figure that out.

He waited until they were ascending the stairs, that would take them to the floor Zoro's apartment was on, before he asked once more. "What about now?"

"Almost."

They reached Zoro's apartment and the elder unlocked the door, opening it, and walking inside. He placed his keys on the nearest surface and turned to Luffy with a slightly devious look on his face. Luffy was still confused and it was irritating him. "Zoro! What is it?.! Tell me!"

Zoro took the few steps he needed in order to reach Luffy. The younger had his eyebrows drawn in frustration. Zoro reached for Luffy's tie, slipping two fingers into the knot to loosen it up from around Luffy's neck. He moved his face right in front of Luffy's own as he pulled the other's tie down a bit. "Why don't I show you instead?" His fingers wrapped around the fabric and he used it to his advantage by pulling on the tie to tug Luffy closer to him. He placed his arm around Luffy's back, pressing the boy against his body.

Luffy's frustration vanished when he realized what a part of this surprise was. He smirked back at Zoro who descended to capture his lips with his own. Luffy immediately parted his lips to allow Zoro to explore his mouth as thoroughly as he wanted to. He snaked his arms around Zoro's neck, pushing himself up a tiny bit on his toes to respond to the kiss better.

Zoro took a step forward, pushing Luffy backwards. The younger let Zoro back him up until he was caught between the older teen and the door. He continued to kiss Luffy deeply moving one hand to grip onto the younger's side. Luffy let one of his arms travel from Zoro's neck to wrap around his hip and rest his hand on the small of Zoro's back. Zoro pulled away from Luffy's mouth and began placing kisses down the other's neck.

Luffy craned his neck, his head resting against the door, to give Zoro more access to the skin there. Zoro bit down and sucked on a patch of skin, the sensation going right through Luffy and down to a specific area. The elder kept moving from one spot on his neck to another, nipping at the skin and sending jolts of pleasure down Luffy's body. The longer Zoro continued to do this, the more Luffy could feel himself hardening from the pleasing ministrations. "Zoro…ah..st…op.."

In Luffy's opinion, this wasn't good. He wasn't sure how much more he could handle until he'd have no choice but to have this growing problem dealt with. But, Zoro was not stopping and Luffy knew that he had heard him. Zoro's hand moved down Luffy's side, and he slipped his fingers underneath Luffy's shirt, letting his fingers glide over the soft skin there. He shoved the rest of his hand up Luffy's shirt, resting it on the younger's stomach. He absently stroked his fingers across the skin and could feel the muscles in Luffy's abdomen tighten.

Zoro had his hand resting right beneath his bellybutton, and with each small stroke of his fingers, it would cause his problem to grow even more. When Zoro was finished with his neck, he locked his lips with Luffy's again, instigating another open-mouth kiss. He pressed his body closer to Luffy's, and the younger moaned into his mouth when Zoro's knee pressed up between hi s legs.

Without thinking, Luffy entwined his leg with the one Zoro had resting between his legs, and tugged it closer to him. The friction caused by Zoro's knee rubbing against his clothed, hardened arousal felt amazing. Luffy didn't want Zoro to stop anymore. This feeling was one of the best feelings he'd ever experienced. If Zoro tried to stop, he wouldn't let him.

Zoro was fully aware of Luffy's arousal, as well as his own growing one. He'd given Luffy enough time to try and stop this if he truly wanted to and the younger hadn't said anything else after that first time, so he was going to keep going with it. He moved his hand south, resting his fingers over Luffy's belt buckle. If Luffy wanted him to stop, right now would be the best time to speak up about it.

He pulled back and took in Luffy's flushed face and his closed eyes. The younger was breathing slightly harder than normal and he opened his eyes just a bit to look at Zoro. "Luffy…"

The younger shifted his body, accidentally grinding against Zoro's knee again. He squeezed his eyes shut and tossed his head back. "Ah..Zoro…w-we aren't-"

Zoro smiled at Luffy and grabbed the boy's chin to pull his face closer. "Just wait." He replied, connecting their lips. Zoro fiddled with Luffy's belt, successfully undoing the buckle. He unbuttoned the other's pants, allowing his hand to slide inside Luffy's trousers. His fingers lightly stroked over the hardened length through Luffy's boxers. Luffy moaned and bucked his hips, urging for Zoro to do more.

Zoro wasted no time and dipped his hand into Luffy's boxers. Luffy broke the kiss they were in the middle of when Zoro wrapped his fingers around him, beginning to stroke the hardened flesh. "Hah…Z-zo- ahhh….Zoro-" Luffy's breath hitched and his hands fisted the material of Zoro's shirt when the elder moved his thumb over the slit, smearing the pre-cum that had built up from Luffy's arousal. "Nnngg…ah..f-feels…"

"How does it feel?" Zoro smirked, intentionally stroking Luffy at an agonizingly slow pace. He kept this up for a while, waiting patiently for Luffy's response, who was having a bit of trouble forming words at the moment.

"…good..Zoro, f-faster.."

At Luffy's plea, Zoro moved his hand at a faster pace. He dragged his nails along the shaft, feeling the younger's body shudder from the sheer amount of pleasure he was receiving. "Mmm, Zo-" Luffy's moans were drowned out as Zoro kissed him. The elder pulled back to look at Luffy's face. "Zoro… I-I can't-"

"It's okay, Luffy." Zoro whispered in his ear, tugging on Luffy's earlobe with his teeth. He flicked his tongue out over the cartilage, nipping at the thin flesh. Luffy bucked against him one last time before spilling into his hand. He dropped his forehead onto Zoro's shoulder, and Zoro retracted his hand from the confines of Luffy's pants.

Luffy happened to glance up at Zoro just as he lifted his hand to his face. His eyes widened and his face reddened further as he watched Zoro proceed to clean his hand by licking his seed off. "Zoro, don't-"

Zoro smirked as he ran his tongue along the side of his hand, catching it all. He lifted Luffy's chin with his clean hand and planted a small kiss on his lips. Then, he pulled the rest of Luffy's tie off from around his neck. "Go take a shower."

Luffy bit his lip and averted his gaze down, immediately noticing Zoro's own problem. "But, what about you?" He pointed down, to which Zoro simply buttoned Luffy's pants and zipped them with his free hand.

He nudged Luffy in the direction of the bathroom. "Just go."

"But, Zoro-"

Zoro resumed cleaning the rest of his fingers. "Luffy, go shower." He replied, his words sounding muffled around his fingers.

The younger pouted, but gave up, doing as he was told, and grumbling incoherently along the way. Zoro smiled as he watched Luffy close the bathroom door behind him. He then retreated to the kitchen to properly wash his hands since Luffy occupied the bathroom.

After that, when he could hear the shower, Zoro decided to get Luffy some clothes and other things. Once he placed them in the bathroom, he left and waited for Luffy to finish his shower. The other didn't stay in there too long, but it was long enough for Zoro's problem to die down. He didn't expect Luffy to do those kinds of things back right now. He wanted to give the boy some experience first, since it was obvious that Luffy was inexperienced, before he let Luffy try things out. He also was not sure how deep this relationship was going to go, so it was better to not rush into everything at once. He was willing to take this at whatever pace was good for Luffy. In the meantime, if such problems arose again, like an erection, he could take care of that by himself. What was import was making Luffy feel good in a comfortable way.

In a sense, it seemed like Luffy was in control of how they paced this relationship, while he was in control of taking care of things that happened in their relationship. Well, as long as that didn't cause any problems, he was perfectly fine with that. It was especially important to make sure that Luffy felt comfortable during a time like this when Ace wasn't around, and the boy was still feeling the emotional effects of his brother's accident. Luffy may have gotten a lot better at showing on the exterior that he wasn't bothered that much, but it had only been a week and it would take more time than that for Luffy to feel a hundred percent again.

Said boy stepped out of the bathroom, spotting Zoro on the couch, and walking over to join him. He curled up comfortably against Zoro's chest. It was the late evening and he was beginning to feel tired. Luffy looked up at Zoro. "Why'd you do that?" His face tinted a light pink which was what told Zoro what Luffy was referring to. "It's gross."

"It's not gross." Zoro retorted, wrapping his arms tighter around Luffy.

"Yeah-huh."

"Nothing about you is gross, so stop that."

"I bet it tastes bad."

"You aren't the one who tasted it, now are you?"

Luffy sighed and looked away. "No."

"Then, quit talking about it." Zoro rested his chin on Luffy's shoulder.

Luffy turned his head to Zoro. "Fine." He gave Zoro a kiss before snuggling up to him. It was always cold when he first got out of the shower and Zoro was an excellent source of heat, as well as a very nice pillow. He was so exhausted, and yet he still had a whole school day to get through tomorrow. At least it would be Friday, and he couldn't wait to start working with Zoro either, even though that was a few days away.

And, as far as Luffy was concerned, he'd already gotten the job, so Shanks better let him use that money to pay the bills. What else would he use it on other than that? He'd probably blow it all on food anyway. Which meant that the next time he saw Shanks, the man better accept that money. At least, he hoped he would. But, that would wait until he got to see Shanks again. Right now, he was perfectly content to fall asleep on Zoro. And, that was exactly what he did, because the elder was very warm, and the day's events had taken their toll on him. He unintentionally let his eyelids slip closed as he pressed closer to Zoro, allowing himself to finally get some rest and sleep.


	22. XXII: First Day On The Job

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: Again, thank you Shuhei69 for pointing that out to me. I tried to think about if Luffy knew anyone with blue hair before I put that sentence in, but for some reason Vivi ALWAYS slips my mind. I guess maybe since she was only with them for a brief period in time. I'm not sure. Regardless, I'm glad that was brought to my attention, so I could remove that sentence, since it is not true.

* * *

><p>Luffy looked down at himself in his new work uniform. It consisted of a pair of black pants, a new pair of nice, black dress shoes, and a long-sleeve, white button-down shirt that Zoro also had to buy. It wasn't uncomfortable or anything, so he could deal with it. They were currently in the kitchen of the restaurant. When they were still at the apartment and Zoro had first changed into his waiter uniform, Luffy had to admit that he looked very attractive in it. Compared to Zoro's uniform, his was pretty bleak.<p>

"Okay, I'm going to go over a few things with you, so bear with me. All right?" Zoro asked. Luffy nodded, giving Zoro his full attention. "First, forget the greeting thing. If a customer says something nice to you, it's fine to reply, but for the most part, you don't have to talk to them if they don't talk to you. Second, we're going to start you off by cleaning tables, and after you get the hang of that, you can set them up too, but for now, you'll just clear them. You still with me?" Zoro knew he had a lot to tell the boy, so he wanted to make sure that Luffy was listening to him before he got too far. The younger nodded. "Okay, third," Zoro counted off a third finger. "for the first couple days, you'll just clean the tables that I serve. So, I'll come back to get you when the people at that table have left. In the meantime, it's best if you stay back here to clean some things up, but make sure to stay out of the way. Fourth, be very careful with anything that can break if you drop it. I can't stress that enough. Whatever you do, TRY not to break things. Got that?"

Luffy grinned. "Yep! I won't break things!"

Zoro continued. "Fifth, be extremely careful with the cart you'll be using for all of the dishes on the tables. Don't bump into things or people with it because you could knock things off. Let's see, is there anything else?" The elder teen paused to think about it for a few seconds. Luffy waited patiently for Zoro say something else. "Oh yeah, this is the most important thing. Make sure you understand this, Luffy, I'm not kidding, and I know you, so it's bound to happen if I don't tell you right now. Just because the customers are finished with their food, _doesn't mean you can eat it_, no matter what, don't eat any of it. It's garbage and you'll have breaks during which you can eat. Out of everything I just told you, tell me you understand that the most."

"Well… what If I get hungry and I'm not on break?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side slightly.

Zoro gave Luffy a stern look. "Not even then. Under no circumstances are you to eat that food. You know how you can't eat in class and have to wait until lunch? It's just like that. You can't eat on the job, you have to wait until you get a break, and I'll tell you when that is."

Luffy pouted. "Fine."

Zoro glanced down at his watch. "My shift's starting, so I have to go. Just stay back here and wash dishes or something. I'll be back to get you in a little bit. And, be careful with your uniform too. If it gets stained, we'll have to buy you a new shirt."

After that, Zoro left the kitchen to begin his shift. Luffy stood there for a few seconds before glancing over at the sink, of which already had some dirty dishes piled inside. Zoro said he should clean those and because no one else was around doing it, he guessed it would be best if he did. He walked over to the sink and turned the faucet on, making sure to roll his sleeves up, so they wouldn't get wet. He reached for what was apparently dish soap and used that to clean one of the glasses on top. It was the only bottle around, so he assumed it was dish soap, and when he used it under the water, it foamed up, which meant it had to be.

So far, this job was kind of boring, but he would be making money by doing it, so he wouldn't complain. It was pretty simple too. There wasn't much about it that was difficult. Also, it was only his first day, there was bound to be more interesting things that would happen the longer he worked. And, Zoro even said that if he worked hard and long enough, he could move from the position of busboy to a waiter, which he thought would be awesome. The waiter's uniforms were so much nicer looking and they got to carry food! Despite the fact that they couldn't eat the food, he still thought it was cool.

Luffy continued cleaning the dishes. Keeping in mind Zoro's statement about not breaking anything, which made him be even more cautious with the dishware. It was kind of expensive looking. Perhaps that was why Zoro said not to break them. Eh, he didn't know. All he knew was that Zoro warned him to be careful, and so he was going to be. It wouldn't be good if Zoro got mad at him for screwing something up.

The dishes were enough to busy himself the whole time it took for Zoro return. The elder had walked in once, but only because he was bringing an order. Shortly after that, he'd walked right back out with some kind of food that Luffy was unable to see since it was covered. He figured because Zoro was working, it would be best to not talk to him. Zoro had to do his job and if he bothered him, it would only make it more difficult for him. There were lots of dishes to wash, so he didn't even have the time to talk to Zoro if he wanted to.

"Luffy." The younger glanced over his shoulder to see Zoro approaching him. He grinned at the other, and grabbed the nearest dry towel to clean his hands off with. "I have a table for you, so I want you to come out, that way I can show you the most important part of your job."

Luffy turned to fully face Zoro. "Okay, what do I do?"

Zoro pointed at a cart sitting a few feet away with a couple rectangular buckets sitting in it, as well as what looked to be some cleaning supplies. "You'll need that. It shouldn't be hard to push or anything."

The younger walked over to the cart and rolled it over toward Zoro. "Now what?"

"I'll show you to the table. Bring the cart with you."

Luffy did as Zoro instructed and followed him out into the dining part of the restaurant. Zoro led him to a table that had a bunch of dishes on it. "Basically what you do is clean all of this up." He stated once they reached the table. "But, there are certain ways you should do it." Zoro picked up one of the buckets from the cart. "These are used to store all of the dirty dishes. You'll take them to the back and throw everything away that's food in them there. That's why I said it's important not to bump into things with the cart, especially if you have glasses that aren't empty." He placed it back on the cart. "And, don't take the bucket from the cart, fill it, and then put it back. That just makes it easier to drop it. Keep the buckets on the cart the whole time, okay?"

Luffy nodded slowly, processing all of what Zoro just told him. "I know I'm saying a lot, but I have to explain things, so just listen the best you can." The older teen then reached under the cart and pulled out a small, dry towel. "There's another bucket at the bottom of the cart filled with water. Once you have everything off the table, including the table cloth, you have to clean the surface of the table and underneath it. The chairs should be cleaned too. After you clean the table, dry it, and there are extra table cloths underneath the cart, so you'll put one of those on." Zoro placed the towel to the side. "That's what you'll do for right now. Later, I can show you how to set the table. I want you to do exactly what I've told you. I'll stay and help you if you want."

The younger was not used to Zoro telling him so many things at one time, but he felt that this was something he could do by himself. "That's okay. I can do it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yep!"

Zoro hesitated. "Okay. I'll be around. If you have any problems, find me or ask another worker."

He walked away after that, leaving Luffy to complete his task by himself. Luffy tried to recall all of what Zoro had told him. He had to remove all of the dishes first, so he began doing that, stacking any empty plates on top of each other, and then placing them in the bucket like Zoro said. He reached for one of the half full glasses and paused when putting it in the bucket. Hm, did it matter if the plates and glasses were in the same bucket? He didn't know, but it couldn't hurt, so he stuck it in there, filling the rest of the bucket with the glasses from the table.

Once that was finished, he tossed any used napkins into where he assumed they belonged in the cart. Aside from that, all that was left was the table cloth, but he wasn't too sure about what to do with that after pulling it off the table. Maybe, he should have asked Zoro a few things before the elder left. He pondered on it for a few seconds before wadding it up and throwing that in an empty stop on the cart. There was no use in standing around trying to figure it out.

Luffy grabbed the towel that Zoro had pulled out of the cart and crouched down, spotting the bucket of water the elder had referred to, and dipping the cloth into it, ringing out any excess water. He proceeded to wipe down the table, remembering how Zoro said to clean underneath it and the chairs as well.

He returned the damp towel to the water bucket, searching around for the extra table cloths that Zoro said were there. When he located them, he pulled one out, spreading it onto the table. Apparently that was all he had to do, and he had to say that overall, it was a pretty easy job. He still had to take everything back to the kitchen, but that couldn't be too difficult either. He was actually proud of himself for achieving this task. Even if it was easy, he still felt good that he could do it by himself with no help from Zoro or anyone. Maybe it was because this time, he tried to listen to what Zoro had told him, so he knew how to do the job. If it were anyone else trying to explain it, he probably wouldn't have bothered listening to them.

Luffy pushed the cart back into the kitchen, searching for where he was supposed to dump this food. He spotted a large garbage can and pushed the cart over to it, peering down inside of it. Yep, that looked like where it was supposed to go considering it was filled with food already. He scraped the food off the plates into it and spent his time after that pouring out the contents of the glasses in the sink, beginning to start washing those dishes, as well as the rest of the other ones that he had been working on cleaning before Zoro had interrupted him.

He could get used to this. He wasn't sure how much money he would make, but as long as it would contribute to their bills at his and Ace's apartment while his older brother was in the hospital, then he didn't care how much he made. It was also fun being able to work at the same place as Zoro. It made it easier too because had he gotten a job someplace else, Zoro would have to take him there and pick him up all the time, unless he chose to walk, but he didn't know if Zoro would have been up for that. Not that it mattered since this was his job and he did work with Zoro.

The only downside to this job, and it was something he could deal with, but didn't necessarily like, was that he had to give up quite a number of days to visit Ace while he was in the hospital. Before he had thought about getting a job, he intended to visit Ace every single day so that the older wouldn't be lonely by himself all of the time. Now, it was whenever he actually had the time to go, which made him feel bad because he felt like he was neglecting his brother somehow by doing that. The good thing was that this job would benefit them greatly until Ace woke up and got to leave the hospital.

And, it hadn't occurred to him until just now, but he kind of wondered that once this was all done and over with and Ace was back home, if he would continue working here. He guessed he would have to see how Ace felt about it and whether the job was worth continuing to work at. Obviously, the fact that Zoro worked there was a good reason for him, but if Ace went back to work and he had this job, they wouldn't get to have as much time together.

Those kinds of things could wait until Ace was all better again though. It was best to focus on what was happening now instead of thinking about what he planned to do in the future when he had absolutely no idea what was going to happen. He didn't know when Ace would wake up, or if he would for that matter, which was something he disliked thinking about, so he didn't do it much. But, Ace could be in the hospital for a long time, and if that was case, then he was going to be stuck working here for quite a while as well.

Since this job was easy for him to do, he didn't mind exactly how long he had to work here. He hadn't done much cleaning, but despite that, it wasn't difficult to pick up how to wash dishes and things like that. And, even if Zoro talked a lot, he was a big help too with explaining things, otherwise he would have been completely lost on what do to.

Aside from the job and everything, Zoro was certainly something else. That little 'surprise' that Zoro had for him a few days ago was definitely unexpected, but not unwelcome in the least. Luffy had never done something like that before and he rather enjoyed it. They hadn't done anything like that since then, but he wanted it to happen again. Except maybe differently, considering he still wasn't happy about Zoro just doing him. He also wanted Zoro to feel good when they did those intimate things, but Zoro wasn't really letting him do anything.

It didn't bother him too much, just in the sense that he thought Zoro deserved to have those things done to him too. Maybe it was about time he initiated something instead of letting Zoro do it all the time. Perhaps then, Zoro would let him do things that he wanted, to the older. He may have been inexperienced, but from what Zoro had done to him, he had a feel of what was very pleasing to the body; he could most definitely do those things back. The problem was if Zoro would let him.

Luffy's brows were drawn down as he continued to clean the dishes. Zoro had to let him. It wasn't right that, essentially, Zoro was doing all of the work in this relationship. He wanted to do things too! Luffy decided he was going to somehow let Zoro feel the way he had when Zoro had done such pleasing things to him. When, he wasn't sure, but he wanted to and he was going to. Maybe once they got home, he could try something. Work wouldn't be the best place to do those things, as tempting as it sounded, he didn't want to get fired on his first day.

He finished washing all of the dishes several minutes later. At this point, he was unsure of what he was supposed to do. Zoro wasn't around, and he didn't know if he was supposed to wait for Zoro to come get him to clean another table or if he should go out there himself and check for any that needed cleaned. He couldn't just stand around though, so that would be the best thing to do.

Luffy went to the door that separated the kitchen and the dining area, and peered out of it, noticing that there were two tables that needed to be cleaned. At least, he could see two from where he was standing. He went back to the cart and took it out to the dining area, beginning to clean those tables. After cleaning the first, he moved to the second, and he was not impressed with it. Who the hell spent so much money on expensive food and barely ate any of it?

He frowned and thought about this situation. He was SUPPOSED to throw it all away, but most of it looked like it hadn't been touched. Luffy unintentionally stared at the food for a minute or so, until he broke his stare when his stomach growled at seeing such delicious looking food. When was he going to get a break? He wanted to eat. And, this food was not helping.

He knew he shouldn't, but would it honestly be all that bad to take a bite? Whoever the person was that sat here, clearly did not want the food in the first place or something. But, Zoro had said no, so he shouldn't. Though, he really wanted to and it was extremely tempting. This was a difficult decision! He pondered on it for some time before deciding that one bite couldn't hurt. It wouldn't be enough to satisfy his hunger, but he still wanted to try it.

Luffy reached out a hand and was just about to grab a piece of the untouched meat on the plate when a hand slapped his own away from it. "Ow!" He exclaimed, glaring at the person who dared to hit him. He looked over only to see Zoro standing there with a scowl on his face. "What was that for?.!"

Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. "You were reaching for the food instead of the plate. I thought you understood what I told you about doing that."

"What are you talking about? I was just cleaning the table! That's all!" To try and prove his lie, Luffy proceeded to take the plate and place it in the bucket on the cart. "I listened to what you said!"

"Then, why were you trying to eat the food?"

"I wasn't!"

"You were."

"No!"

Zoro sighed. "Luffy, you have a break in about an hour. You can eat then."

Luffy grumbled under his breath and went back to cleaning the table like he was supposed to.

Zoro watched the younger for a few seconds before speaking up. "Aside from that, it looks like you're getting the hang of this."

Luffy shrugged as he placed two glasses in the bucket. "It's easy."

"In that case, I'll show you how to set the table tomorrow."

Luffy pulled the table cloth off. "I bet that's easy too." He replied, grinning, having forgotten about not getting to try that food.

Zoro smirked as he watched the other. "You think that now, but you'll change your mind when your feet start to hurt from walking around all day."

"Does Zoro's feet hurt?"

"Not at this moment."

"But, usually?"

"Yeah."

"Well, whatever. I don't care if my feet hurt."

Luffy began washing the table with the wet cloth he'd just picked up. Zoro uncrossed his arms. "I have to go, but you're doing a good job. Just remember not to eat the food."

"I know." The younger replied absently. Zoro turned to leave since he had people to serve. "Oh, wait, Zoro!" Luffy straightened to his full height and approached the older teen as Zoro turned back around to him.

He leaned up, intending to give Zoro a little kiss, but a hand in front of his face stopped him and he blinked at it, confused. Zoro knew exactly what Luffy planned to do, but they obviously could not do something like that at work, let alone in the middle of the dining area. "Not now, Luffy."

Luffy planted his heels back on the ground and huffed. "That's not fair though! You only gave me one kiss today and that was at lunch!"

Zoro dropped his hand, looking apologetic. He hadn't meant to deprive Luffy of any affection, but he was busy getting Luffy prepared for his first day at work that he hadn't thought about those things. "I'm sorry; I'll make sure to give you one the second work's over with. But, I really have to get back to serving."

Luffy pursed his lips. He didn't want to wait that long! He turned around to walk back to the table. "Stupid rules." He mumbled under his breath. He'd almost reached the table, when his foot snagged on a random chair leg and he tripped over the thing. He was prepared to fall into the floor, but two arms managed to catch him around the waist before he was able to hit the ground.

Zoro pulled him up and let go of Luffy. "Watch out for those."

"I know that now!" Luffy's expression changed to one of slight guilt after accidentally lashing out at Zoro like that. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

The elder furrowed his brows in worry at the boy's behavior. He was confused by it, but Luffy surely had his reasons for acting as such. Not that he cared that Luffy yelled at him, that didn't bother him; it was simply unusual for the younger to do something like that. "Are you okay?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.

Luffy sighed, feeling bad about that random burst of anger and turned to the table he was previously washing to finish cleaning it. "I'm fine. Just thinking about things, is all."

Zoro stepped closer to Luffy, placing hand over the other's to stop him from cleaning that table. Luffy didn't bother to say anything or look at him, and that definitely told him something was wrong. "What's the matter? Why are you upset?"

Luffy's shoulders slumped and he stared at the table top. "Don't you have to serve people?" He asked, simply wanting Zoro to go do his job and give him some time to get his thoughts back in order and under control. He felt frustrated for a number of reasons and that frustration was turning into anger, which was being directed at the one person he didn't want to be angry at. His frustration had to be because of his thoughts about their relationship and how Zoro wasn't giving him the chance to try things. He wasn't angry that Zoro only kissed him once that day, that wasn't all that important. It also probably had to do with his emotions being slightly out of whack concerning Ace and just the fact that he really wanted to see his older brother, as well as his fear about what was going to happen to Ace in the future. He hadn't seen Ace since Friday. And, he had work the next two days, so he wouldn't get to see him until at least Thursday.

Zoro wanted to get to the bottom of Luffy's behavior, but the kid was right. He couldn't keep wasting time like this or his pay would be docked. He sighed and slipped his hand from Luffy's. "We'll talk after work, okay?"

Luffy nodded, but still did not say a word or give him a glance. Zoro turned away from him and went back to working. He absolutely hated not being able to talk to Luffy right now or make him feel better about whatever it was upsetting him. When Luffy was certain that Zoro had left, he bit his lip, trying to resume washing the table, just so he'd have something that he could use to attempt to distract him from his thoughts.

He had no idea what time it was, be he figured he'd been working for almost an hour by now. That meant he still had a whole four hours left of work. So much for a nice first day on the job. He'd wanted to have some fun with it and he had before five minutes ago. He wasn't sure what triggered that random outburst at Zoro, but it wasn't welcome anymore, because he felt like crap, and he was confused about why he suddenly felt so down all of a sudden.

He finished cleaning that table, and retreated back to the kitchen to dispose of the food and clean the dishes. If he could manage to get through the next few hours all right, then he could go home and go to sleep, and try to make himself feel better with some rest. At least, he hoped he'd feel better.

* * *

><p>Over the next few hours, the longer Luffy worked, the more he was distracted from those frustrating thoughts, and he felt a lot happier by the time his shift was coming to an end. He was excited to go home and sleep. Work could be exhausting even if it was only his first day. Oh, but now that he remembered, he still had homework to do too, which meant that sleep was going to have to wait when he and Zoro got back to the apartment. That was disappointing.<p>

Zoro approached him when their shifts were over. Luffy had just finished cleaning the dishes from the last table that he had cleaned. The younger washed his hands and dried them off, offering Zoro a smile. "You all finished?" The elder asked.

Luffy nodded. "Yeah. I can't wait to get back home!"

Zoro ruffled the boy's hair affectionately as they left the kitchen, walking to the front doors of the restaurant. "I have something for you." He said, pulling out his wallet once they were outside of the restaurant and retrieving some of the money inside. He handed the money to Luffy who looked at it in confusion. "That's your share of the tips from today." Zoro explained.

The younger accepted the money. "Really? I get money from tips?"

"Of course. You worked hard cleaning all of those tables." He grinned at the boy who returned it with a smile of his own.

Luffy folded the money and shoved it into his pocket. He threw his arms around Zoro's neck and kissed him. "Thank you, Zoro!"

Zoro was happy to see that Luffy was in a much better mood, but he still wanted to talk to the other about earlier. If something was really bothering Luffy, he wanted to help if he could, so he thought about it during the rest of his shift, and had come to the conclusion of what he could do. He took Luffy's hand and started leading them away from the restaurant. "I know it's late, but I wanted to take you somewhere so we could talk."

Luffy allowed Zoro to lead him to the car. Once they were in, he decided to ask the one question that was on his mind. "Where are we going?"

Zoro pulled away from the restaurant. "It's not far. It won't take long at all to get there."

And, Zoro was right when he said that. They had only been in the car for a few minutes before Zoro was turning the engine off. They both got out of the car and Zoro held his hand out for Luffy to hold. The younger walked closer and entwined his fingers with Zoro's. The moonlight was the only source of light they had here as Zoro led them to what appeared to by a small park. Because it was night, there was no one there, which was perfect.

When Zoro reached the swings, he sat down on the nearest one, tugging on Luffy's hand. "Come here."

The other took two steps forward and Zoro wrapped an arm around Luffy's waist, using his other hand to unexpectedly lift Luffy's leg and move it so that it was resting against one of his sides. Luffy understood what Zoro was doing and slipped his other leg next to Zoro's opposite side, so now that he was sitting on Zoro's legs, facing the teen, while his legs were hanging off the swing on either side of Zoro.

In the back of his mind, Zoro hoped that this swing was strong enough to hold both of their weights. He wrapped his other arm around Luffy's waist, deciding to cut to the chase and say what he had come here to talk about. "You wanna tell me what's bothering you?"

Luffy wrapped his own arms around Zoro's neck and rested his forehead against Zoro's. "I didn't mean to yell at your earlier."

"That's okay. Just tell me what's wrong."

Luffy shifted his eyes, glancing at whatever happened to be in his peripheral vision. "It's a couple things, I think."

"What's one thing?"

"Ace…" Luffy mumbled, biting his bottom lip lightly.

Zoro moved his hands along Luffy's back, knowing that this could be a sensitive subject to talk about with the younger. Zoro thought it best to simply ask Luffy questions so that he could help urge the boy to talk to him. "What about him?"

Luffy looked back to Zoro who was already staring at him. "I miss him. And, I was thinking if he's going to wake up and get better, because there's the chance he won't. But, if he does, I wasn't sure if I should keep this job because we wouldn't get to see each other that much."

"You have to be patient, Luffy. I know it's hard not to think about it, but sometimes you have to try not to or you will get upset. It might take a while, but we have no choice but to wait until Ace is ready to wake up." Zoro replied, hoping that Luffy would understand and know that this situation wasn't something you could rush or control.

"I just miss having him around, you know? And, talking to him and stuff. I mean, I always talk to him when I go to the hospital, but that's different."

"What do you talk to him about?" He asked, curiously. And, also hoping to make Luffy focus on something better concerning Ace.

Luffy smiled. "Anything I can think of. You, us, school, Shanks; all kinds of things."

Zoro returned Luffy's smile. "That's good. You know, I've heard that sometimes people who are in comas can hear what others say to them."

"They can?.!"

"It's possible."

"Do you think Ace can?"

"I wouldn't know, but maybe."

"That would be awesome."

"So," Zoro moved one hand to Luffy's side and absently massaged it with his fingers. "was there anything else bothering you?"

"Kind of…"

"It's not because I only kissed you once today, is it? Because-"

"No, it's not that!" Luffy giggled and rubbed the tip of his nose against Zoro's.

Zoro smiled at Luffy's adorable actions. "Okay, then what is it?"

Luffy suddenly pulled back slightly and looked anywhere but at Zoro. "Well… I was thinking about how Zoro always makes me feel nice when we do things together, but I can never make you feel that way, and I want to."

The elder lifted an eyebrow at that. That was certainly not what he was expecting, not that it was bad or anything. He simply expected something else, is all. What, he wasn't sure, but not that. "You do?"

Luffy nodded, his face heating up a tiny bit. Admitting that to Zoro was kind of embarrassing, but it was true. "Yeah. Like a couple days ago when we, you know…"

Zoro smirked. "I think I know."

"Uh, yeah, well, I want to do those things to Zoro too!" Luffy had a serious and determined look on his face. But, it looked more adorable than anything.

The other teen chuckled. "You got frustrated because of that?" Luffy continued giving Zoro that look, his brows drawn down and his lips pressed tightly together, but he didn't reply. "Look, I just wanted you to be comfortable, and I didn't know if you wanted to do those things just yet, so I figured that we could try, but I didn't expect you to do anything back. It's fine if you want to, but I won't force you to do anything you're uncomfortable with doing."

Luffy's arms tightened around Zoro's neck. "I'm not uncomfortable. I like touching Zoro. It's nice."

"Then, from now on, you can do whatever you want, but only if you want to."

"You'd let me?"

Zoro nodded. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know… I just thought maybe you wouldn't."

"I'm not against it at all."

Luffy grinned largely. "Good!" He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Zoro's lips before resting his head on the elder's shoulder. The two stayed like that for a few minutes, simply enjoying the silence and each other's company. A breeze blew by and Luffy involuntarily shivered from the chilly air. Zoro noticed and tightened his hold on the boy.

"You want to go home soon?" Zoro asked, breaking the silence.

Zoro could feel the younger nod against his shoulder. Luffy wrapped his legs around Zoro to which Zoro made sure to keep a firm hold on the other as he stood from the swing while holding onto Luffy.

Luffy felt lazy allowing Zoro to carry him like this, but Zoro was just too comfortable to lay on that he didn't want to get up. And, if Zoro didn't care, he'd let the older carry him. It wasn't like Zoro couldn't carry him or anything.

When Zoro reached his car, he opened the door on Luffy's side and carefully lowered the younger into the seat. Luffy gave him another kiss before pulling his arms away from Zoro's neck. Zoro closed his door and walked around to the other side of the vehicle. Luffy was feeling very exhausted. He couldn't wait to get back to Zoro's apartment. He could finish his homework and then finally go to bed for the day. And, sleep sounded like a very good idea right now.


	23. XXIII: Nightmare

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: I apologize if this chapter is horrible! I reread it and didn't particularly like it, but maybe that's just me. I don't know!

Warning: This chapter contains M rated material.

* * *

><p>Today was one of Luffy's days off from work. Sadly, Zoro did have work, so the elder dropped him off at the hospital after school, and went on his way to the restaurant. These days didn't happen too often anymore for Luffy. He only got to see Ace two or three times a week because of work. Sometimes, Zoro would have work while he was off that day, like today for instance, and other times they would be off the same day and Zoro would take them both to the hospital to see Ace.<p>

It had been approximately two months since he'd first started working. After the first week, he knew everything he needed so he could do his job properly. And, over the first few weeks, he got a lot better at it. He found that some of the customers seemed to like him whenever they would talk to him while working, as well as a lot of the other waiters. It made him feel happy to know that others liked him so much.

Aside from work, he also still happened to be living with Zoro considering Ace was not awake yet. With each week that passed, Luffy found himself becoming slightly more worried about Ace's condition. He knew that this was something that took a lot of time, but he couldn't help it. Physically, Ace was doing really well. Any cuts or bruises were completely gone, and his leg, arm, and other fractured and broken bones had healed considerably, but not fully. Those would obviously take longer to heal. The doctor did say that the fractures would heal faster than the broken bones and that in a few weeks, the fractures would be gone.

Which was great news. Luffy was delighted to know that, but the coma was what bothered him the most. It had been too long since he got to actually speak to Ace and see him awake. The night Ace had left before the accident was the last time and he honestly missed it. But, Zoro had been there to help him cope with that sort of thing, as well as Shanks whenever he came by to visit.

He didn't get to see Shanks as often either because of work, and the older man had found out that he'd gotten the job. He wasn't necessarily angry or anything, but maybe that was because Luffy was working with Zoro. It took some persuading before Zoro was able to get Shanks to accept the money Luffy made to pay off the bills at the apartment. No matter what Luffy said himself, Shanks would not accept the money until Zoro had stepped in and talked to the man about it.

Shanks had also told him that things were going to look better financially. Mostly concerning Ace's medical bills. He'd told Luffy that Garp was paying for most of them, which surprised the younger quite a bit. Then, he realized that he didn't even know that his grandpa had been aware of Ace's accident. The last time he'd seen the old man was before Ace got sick that one time. It wasn't a good experience, but he didn't hold any sort of hatred toward Garp for it. He was frustrated with the man, but he didn't hate him. Zoro, on the other hand, might.

Speaking of his green haired boyfriend, Zoro had kept his word about allowing Luffy to try things in their relationship that he was curious about. Luffy was, more or less, happy about that particular thing. He'd wanted so badly to do certain things, that Zoro had done to him, to Zoro. They were taking things like that at a decent pace though, having not gone too far with their relationship sexually yet.

They had gone past the lighter things sexually, such as fondling, to more oral activities. And, Luffy had to admit that the first time Zoro had done something like that to him, he was pretty much blown away by the amount of pleasure it caused. He found it to be slightly weird at first when Zoro was about to do it and had attempted to stop the teen, but once Zoro had gone through with it, Luffy had changed his mind about oral sex completely. He didn't find it weird or disgusting anymore, that was for sure.

Other than that, their relationship had strayed away from actual sex, and they weren't avoiding it, the time hadn't been right just yet, Luffy supposed. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about having sex either, considering he had never done such a thing before; he didn't even know if Zoro was a virgin or not. He'd never asked, and if Zoro wasn't, then that made him feel a bit unsetted. Luffy wasn't sure if their relationship would go that far, but they were doing sexual things all ready, that he couldn't help but think about it. He kind of wanted to ask Zoro some things about it, but felt that it sounded too awkward, and he'd just not say anything, choosing to wait and see what ends up happening, if something happened at all.

Aside from their relationship, everything else over the last two months had been the usual stuff. School was the same thing every day, except that he'd found it much more fun for him and Zoro to be open about their relationship there. He felt that he didn't need to hide anything, nor did he want to hide it, and so they didn't. The others, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, and Vivi, had come to terms with it very quickly; Usopp may have taken slightly longer, simply because he found it odd at first, but now he was perfectly fine with it. Luffy didn't know how any of the other students at school felt about it, nor did he honestly care what they thought. No one had said anything to him or Zoro, so he guessed that they just didn't really care all that much. Whatever it was, it didn't matter.

But, because they were open about their relationship, he wanted the same at work as well. That couldn't happen though. They were not permitted to do those things while working, but because Luffy had been slightly persistent about that, Zoro always found times to sneak in affectionate gestures. Even if it was the smallest thing, Luffy knew, and it made him feel happy whenever Zoro did those things. He'd do them back, but there was no way that he could make them seem as subtle as Zoro did, such as those times if they happened to be the only ones in the back of the restaurant or if Zoro decided to randomly tug him into the bathroom or something. Zoro always found ways to hide their relationship at work while still being affectionate at the same time. And, Luffy would admit that sometimes it was hard not to want to act on certain urges or impulses he'd have while at work with Zoro, it was just something he tended to do. So, he was glad that they were able to still do things – light things, of course – when at work.

Mostly, what bothered him about the past two months was that he didn't get to visit Ace as often as he would like. He was happy to be sitting here next to Ace after being unable to for the last few days. Usually, whenever he visited Ace, he spent it by telling the elder anything that had happened since the last time he got to see him; then, if he had any school work, he would do that so he wouldn't have to that night; and, he'd also think about lots of things. The visits were far from boring for him; he loved to come to the hospital. Zoro would come with him about once a week and he tried to go by himself two more times during the week if he could.

After the first few weeks, when a lot of Ace's injuries had already begun the process of healing, Luffy was allowed to do one of the things that he thought was absolutely awesome. It didn't sound awesome, but he barely got to touch Ace, so he was ecstatic when it was brought up. But, there was this one nurse that he got to see quite a bit since Ace had been in the hospital, and during one of his visits, she came in to do what he assumed was to check up on Ace. That hadn't exactly been the case. She explained to him that once a patient was in a coma for a certain period of time, that it was important to periodically come in and do a bit of physical therapy by rotating different joints to make sure that they wouldn't stiffen and make it harder for the patient to move if they happened to come out of the coma.

This nurse had told him that she knew who he was and that he might be happy to help her out whenever she came in to do this. Luffy had been confused about it at first until she had explained to him further what it was she was going to let him do. She'd demonstrated what it was she had to do when moving certain body parts, such as in which way to rotate, say Ace's wrist or his shoulder. She told him that if he'd like to, she would allow him to help with the physical therapy as long as he was careful and did it right, leaving any injured body parts for her to tend to, since those were to be handled with much more care and precision.

Luffy did not hesitate to accept that offer. So, now if he happened to be visiting each time she came in to do physical therapy, he got to help her do it, and they would casually talk about things, mostly involving Ace. Luffy liked to talk about his brother a lot, so he had lots of things to say. He didn't know if she was planning to do that today or not, but he was more than happy to help if she came in.

Something else that she had mentioned to him at one point was that some patients tended to even move slightly, and there have even been some to mumble when in a comatose state. Ever since she had told him that, Luffy thought it would be the best thing if Ace happened to move or something, so he tended to watch the elder closely for things like that. Not once had he seen Ace move, but who knows, maybe he had when he wasn't around, Luffy wouldn't know.

The downside to the amount of time that Ace had been stuck in this coma was that Luffy had been informed that the longer a patient was in a coma, the less likely it became that they would wake up, which honestly terrified him more than anything. It had been two months and Ace hadn't shown any signs of waking up soon or at all.

Luffy unintentionally squeezed Ace's hand. He had developed a habit of holding Ace's hand, especially when that was the only part of Ace he could touch, that it was kind of hard to give it up, so that was the first thing he did when he walked into the room each time. Then, he would start talking about whatever happened to be on his mind. Like now for instance. He'd just finished telling Ace about his day at school and how Zoro wasn't with him because of work. "Oh, and Zoro started teaching me how to do my math homework right the past couple of weeks! It was confusing at first, but I understood it, and then, we had this big math test, so Zoro helped me study for it and I actually passed it. I missed a couple questions, but I got a B on it! That's probably the best grade I've ever gotten in math." He grinned and laughed. "Not that Ace's teaching was bad! I just never remembered anything when we had a test. That's okay because Zoro won't have to help me anymore once you're out of the hospital!"

Luffy paused for a few seconds. "Then, when you're all healed, we have to go somewhere, like maybe an amusement park or the zoo! I don't know if there's an amusement park around, but I want to go to one still." Luffy stopped when he remembered something and pouted. "But, it's November, so I don't know if there will be any… unless there's a winter carnival somewhere!"

And, now that Luffy got to thinking about it and how it was almost winter, he really hoped that Ace would be awake by the time Christmas came around. It wouldn't be a very good Christmas if he couldn't spend it with Ace. Thanksgiving was only in a matter of weeks too, which would be odd celebrating if Ace wasn't awake by then either. He'd have Zoro and all of his other friends, as well as maybe Shanks too, but he would definitely be disappointed if he couldn't spend it with Ace. They spent every major holiday together, every year.

Halloween this year had been strange for him considering he and Zoro were stuck working that night, so he didn't even get to go, but before they had moved here, he and Ace always went together. They had lived with Garp then too, which meant that sometimes they would get lucky and the old man wouldn't be home that night, but there had been a few times when they ended up sneaking out to go because Garp thought it was stupid that they still did those childish things. They'd been punished for it later, but it had been fun while it lasted. Especially that one time when Garp caught them sneaking out and Ace dragged him out of the house, running as fast as he could manage in hopes that Garp wouldn't catch them. They knew it was a bad idea at the time, but who cared? They ended up sneaking back in Ace's bedroom window that night anyway, despite the fact that Garp was not happy the next day.

Those were the kinds of reasons why Luffy loved spending holidays with Ace. They were so much fun, even if they got in trouble for doing stupid stuff. Also, they just were not the same when he didn't have his big brother around to spend them with. He'd definitely been slightly upset about the whole Halloween thing, but there wasn't anything he could do about it, but to just accept it. There was always next year too.

And, if Ace wasn't awake by Thanksgiving, he could deal with that, but Christmas was his favorite holiday to spend with Ace. There was so much to do and he loved every second. They would decorate the whole house when Garp wasn't around, make lots of food, and spend the days in their pajamas when they were on break from school while pretty much cuddling on the couch watching television or something to stay warm. The best part was buying presents though. Sometimes, Luffy ended up making things instead of being able to buy things if he didn't have the money to, but it was still fun. He also enjoyed helping Ace bake cookies and things like that, even if he ended up making a huge mess more than anything. But, Christmas was a holiday that Luffy looked forward to and he sincerely hoped that Ace would be awake and better by that time.

Remembering those times, made Luffy smile. He didn't want to have anymore doubts. Ace had to get better and wake up, even if it wasn't before Thanksgiving or Christmas, all that mattered was that he woke up, so that they could continue doing those things and making more memories together. Ace just had to pull through this. He was strong enough, so Luffy believed that there was no reason for him to doubt Ace. The older would make it out of this rough spot and get better before they knew it. He simply had to.

* * *

><p>Luffy spent the rest of his visit as usual, and later that evening, Zoro picked him up from the hospital to go back to the apartment. He had all of his school work done, so it wasn't too long after they got home that Luffy had ended up falling asleep.<p>

One thing that was different about Luffy's sleeping arrangement was that Zoro did end up purchasing one of those pullout couches for the younger to sleep on, and it was definitely much more comfortable than his old couch. It was a good investment, he supposed. Luffy was comfortable sleeping and it was nice to have a new couch in a way. He'd hated that other couch, despised it really. He was glad that it was gone and not coming back.

Once Luffy fell asleep, Zoro didn't have anything else to do but to finish his own homework, so he ended up doing that before going to bed himself for the night. They had school and work tomorrow, and it wouldn't be good if he didn't get enough sleep. The worse thing was not having enough sleep when you had a long day ahead of you. It didn't take long before he fell asleep for what he thought would be for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p><em>Luffy found himself in what appeared to be Ace's hospital room. He was sitting in the chair beside Ace's bed like he always did when he visited his brother. Zoro wasn't around at all, which meant that he had to be at work; that was the only explanation. It had to be one of those days where he was off work and Zoro wasn't, so he was visiting Ace for the rest of the day.<em>

_He had been in the middle of explaining to Ace all that had apparently happened in the last day or so when the door to Ace's room opened. Why it was closed in the first place, he wasn't sure, because during the day it usually remained open._

_Shanks was the person who had walked through the door. Luffy didn't notice the grim look on the man's face in his excitement to see him again. It wasn't like they both got to visit Ace on the same day very often anymore. He would have jumped up and hugged the man or something, but he didn't want to leave Ace's side, so he settled for grinning wide instead. "Shanks! I didn't know you-"_

"_Luffy." The younger was interrupted by Shanks, who had said his name in such a serious tone that it worried Luffy. That was more serious than the time he told him about Ace's accident. He looked closer at the expression on Shanks' face, noticing the lack of emotion showing. Shanks looked more serious than Luffy had ever seen him in his entire life. The grin slipped from his face as he realized that whatever the reason that Shanks was here for, that it had to be very bad. _

_The younger glanced over at Ace. And, if it was that bad and Shanks was here, then it possibly had to do with Ace, which only proved to scare him further. "Luffy, I didn't want to be the person to have to tell you this. It was hard enough to come to this decision."_

_Luffy looked back to Shanks, feeling a sense of dread fill his body at those words. What on earth could Shanks be talking about that was so bad? Why did he suddenly feel like he was going to hear something he really did not want to? His bottom lip trembled as he thought of the countless possibilities, hoping that it wouldn't be something as horrible as he was thinking. "What are you talking about?" He asked, his voice laced with immense worry. His stomach turned as he began to feel nervous and anxious about what Shanks was going to say. _

_Shanks approached him and Luffy's eyes followed the man's movements as he stepped closer. "I had a talk with the doctor and your grandpa, as well as a few others about what we've decided. You know, Ace has been in that coma for a long time now." _

_Luffy looked slightly confused. "But, it's only been two months. That's not very long."_

_The look Shanks fixed him with told Luffy that he must have said something that wasn't quite right. "No, Luffy, it's been longer than that. How have you forgotten? Ace's accident was almost a year ago." _

_Luffy's eyes widened a fraction. But, hadn't it only been two months? He could swear that it had. If Shanks was trying to pull some joke on him, it wasn't funny. "But, that can't be right."_

_Luffy watched as Shanks frowned, looking confused himself. "It's been a year. I don't know where two months came from. But, listen to me. The doctor told me that there's close to zero chance that Ace is going to wake up from this, and when he told me that, I knew that this was going to have to be decided. Luffy, Ace isn't going to wake up. Do you understand that? It's been way too long, there's no way he's going to." _

_The other swallowed nervously, not wanting to believe such words. He didn't understand how it had suddenly gone from two months to a year, but that didn't matter anymore. "You don't know that! Ace will! There's no way that he won't." The younger's eyes traveled back to Ace, desperately hoping that miraculously Ace would do something that showed he would wake up. But, he remained looking the same as ever. He didn't move or make any sounds. _

_Shanks' expression changed to one of sadness and guilt. "You have no idea how hard it was to do this. We know Ace isn't going to wake up, so there's no reason to keep him-"_

"_No!" Luffy shouted, glaring at the older man. "Don't say that! You can't!" _

"_Luffy, listen to me-"_

"_Ace will… Ace... h-he'll die!" Luffy grasped Ace's hand tighter. He couldn't let this happen. He wouldn't let Ace die. _

"_It's for the best. If Ace isn't going to wake up-"_

"_How is that for the best?.!" Luffy turned hurt and upset eyes to Shanks. "W-why would Ace dying be good?.!" The younger was in the verge of sobbing. _

_Shanks could see the tears welling up in Luffy's eyes. "I don't mean it that way." He reached out a hand toward Luffy, who only slapped it away._

"_Don't touch me!" _

"_Luffy-"_

"_I mean i-it! W-why would y-you s-say that?.!" _

_Shanks' eyes narrowed as he became frustrated with this whole situation. "There's nothing else that we can do for him! You have to understand that!" _

"_I-I don't have to u-understand a-anything!" Luffy moved from the chair to wrap his arms around Ace, attempting to protect the elder in some way. "It's not f-fair! You can't do this! I won't f-forgive you!" _

_Shanks stepped closer and attempted to pull Luffy away from Ace. "It's going to happen, Luffy! It's hard, but you're going to have to accept it!" _

_Luffy tried not to let Shanks pull him away, so he held onto Ace tight. "Ace is getting better! H-he just has to w-wake u-up!" _

_The older man's voice changed to a firm and direct tone. "He's not going to." Shanks enunciated those works as much as he could to get them through Luffy's head. "Come on, Luffy. The doctor's going to be here any minute. Stop acting this way! If there's anything you want to do or say, you have to do it now." _

_Luffy's hands fisted the cloth of the hospital gown on Ace as he lost any previous control he had over his emotions, and sobbed into Ace's chest. Shanks moved his hand to Luffy's back and tried to comfort the boy by rubbing his back. He knew it wasn't working, but he did it anyway, hoping that it would help somehow. _

_It was a couple minutes later that Shanks heard a man clear his voice form the door way. "Excuse me, but you'll both have to leave now." He looked over to see the doctor approaching them, and he yet again, attempted to pull Luffy away from Ace. _

"_Luffy, you have to let go, and do what the doctor says." When Shanks realized that Luffy probably hadn't even heard what he had said because he was crying so hard, he knew he's have no choice but to forcefully remove Luffy from his brother. He grabbed Luffy's arms, of which had gone pretty limp around Ace and succeeded in pulling the boy away, turning Luffy around so that the younger could hold on to him instead. Luffy tried to push away from Shanks, but his arms felt weak and he couldn't manage to do much of anything, let alone to barely stand. "Let's go, Luffy." _

_Shanks picked the younger up, wrapping Luffy's arms around his neck, and holding him so that Luffy had a leg on either side of his body. He began to walk toward the door, and that's when Luffy finally realized what was going on. "Let go!" He pushed against the older man and hit him, trying to get Shanks to put him down. Shanks didn't say anything or try to stop Luffy. He had enough strength to keep Luffy from struggling so much that he wouldn't be able to hold him. By the time he reached the door, Luffy's attempts at trying to get out of Shanks' hold died down a bit. "No… Ace!" He lifted his head just in time to see Ace before Shanks carried him out of the room. He attempted to hit Shanks once more as hard as he could, which really wasn't all that hard, before a sob forced its way out, and he screamed. "ACE!"_

Luffy's eyes suddenly shot open and his breathing came out deep. He could feel that his body was covered in a cold sweat and he blinked his eyes, feeling a wetness slide down his cheeks. Absently, he lifted a hand to wipe at one of his eyes, feeling his fingers become wet from the tears that must have come out.

The dream came back and hit him all at once. His chest and throat tightened, while he tried to get some control over all of the emotions that took over his body. He turned on his side and buried his face in the nearest pillow to muffle his cries. That dream had been horrible and felt too real to him. He wanted to see Ace so badly now, just to make sure he was okay and alive, but he couldn't, and that only hurt more.

He laid there for a few minutes, failing to stifle his cries, which were beginning to turn to sobs. He hadn't cried like this since before he'd told Zoro that he wouldn't cry anymore over Ace. Luffy bit his lip, trying as hard as he could to stop crying. He couldn't see Ace right now no matter how much he needed and wanted to, but he could see Zoro. The older teen was just in the next room asleep. He didn't want to wake him up, but there was no way he could go back to sleep after a dream like that, and he didn't want to be by himself.

Luffy continued to bite his lip, allowing the tears to still come out, but trying not to sob as he climbed out of the bed that pulled out from the couch. He made his way through the dark apartment, coming to Zoro's door, and quietly pushing it open. Zoro's room was also dark, but because he wasn't used to being in here, it was a bit tougher to make his way around. He could see Zoro sleeping in his bed though.

He approached Zoro's bed, being careful as not to bump into anything. Luffy stood at the bed side for a bit, unsure about what he should do. Should he wake Zoro up or not? He tried not to, but his dream invaded his thoughts once more, and he rubbed his eyes with his arm, accidentally letting out a soft sob. After that came out, he found it difficult to stop any other sobs building up. He sniffled and lifted his other hand as he kept attempting to wipe away the tears, but no matter how much he wiped at this eyes, new tears only formed to replace the ones he wiped away.

He was so caught up in trying to stop sobbing that he didn't notice that his cries had woken the other occupant of the room. Zoro had been roused from sleep when he heard what sounded like someone crying. Even though it was dark in his room, he could still make out Luffy standing beside his bed after blinking away the sleep from his eyes. He didn't know why Luffy was in his room at this time, but it was obvious that for some reason, the younger was upset.

Zoro sat up in bed and instinctively reached out to wrap his arm around Luffy's waist. At that, the other pulled his hands away from his face to look at Zoro, sniffling at the same time. "Z-zoro…" His voice cracked and he found it hard to speak.

The older pulled Luffy closer to the bed. "Come here and tell me what's wrong." He said softly, urging Luffy to get into the bed.

Luffy placed a knee on the bed, and then his hands, crawling onto the mattress. He curled up to Zoro, who held him to his side, lowering them both down onto the mattress, so that Luffy would be more comfortable. Zoro lay on his side, allowing Luffy to cuddle against him as he pulled the blanket up to cover them both. He had one arm wrapped around Luffy while he used his free hand to run his fingers through the boy's hair soothingly until Luffy's sobs died down.

When Luffy's tears stopped and he was reduced to a sniffling mess, Zoro decided to ask about why Luffy was upset. "Want to tell me why you were crying?" He asked, breaking the silence in the room.

Luffy lifted his head from Zoro's chest to look at the older teen. "I had a bad dream…" He muttered, his eyes and head beginning to hurt.

"Nightmare?"

Luffy only nodded. "Mm-hm. A really bad one."

Zoro pulled Luffy up so that their faces were close. He rested his forehead against Luffy's, looking into the younger's watery eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Luffy thought about it, unsure if he wanted to tell Zoro. He glanced down, moving his hands under the blanket to grip Zoro's undershirt that he wore to bed. He absently rubbed his bare legs against Zoro's own for warmth. "It was about Ace… and Shanks said he wouldn't wake up and they were going to let him die." Luffy swallowed as he thought back on the dream. "You weren't there either…"

That was all Zoro needed to hear to understand why Luffy had been so upset. He gave Luffy a lingering kiss on the lips, feeling the younger press into it just before he pulled away. "It's okay. It was just a dream, and I'm here now."

Luffy found that when Zoro kissed him, it made him feel a whole lot better about that dream, so he leaned forward and kissed the older teen back, letting his eyelids fall closed. It felt nice to close his eyes because it helped with the burning from crying. When Zoro attempted to pull away, Luffy decided he didn't want that, and tugged on the other's bottom lip with his teeth to stop him from breaking the kiss.

Zoro realized Luffy's actions and deepened the kiss by urging Luffy to part his lips, who willingly complied with that silent request, and slipping his tongue inside Luffy's mouth, exploring the familiar wet cavern. Luffy immediately responded to the kiss, sliding his own tongue over Zoro's. Luffy broke the kiss shortly later, taking a few breaths before propping himself up slightly on his elbow in order to reach where he wanted.

He took one of Zoro's earrings between his teeth and lightly pulled down on it. Zoro pulled him closer; a silent sign for Luffy to continue as he preoccupied himself by placing kisses to the exposed skin of the younger's neck. Luffy had learned recently that he rather enjoyed playing with Zoro's earrings, so he liked to do it pretty often. Zoro seemed to like the sensations that it caused as well, which in turn made Luffy feel happy that he could make Zoro feel good.

The longer their activities continued the more excited Luffy began to feel from Zoro's ministrations. He no longer was thinking about that dream. All that mattered was Zoro and the ecstatic feeling going through his body as the elder tilted his head back to suck at the skin under his chin. Zoro continued nipping at the flesh there until he was satisfied and moved further down Luffy's neck.

Luffy had abandoned Zoro's earrings and wrapped his arms around the other's neck. Zoro could start to feel himself becoming aroused as he sucked and kissed his way down Luffy's neck. When he reached the collar bone, he pulled away, looking at Luffy who stared right back at him with half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks. Zoro absently brushed a few strands of hair out of Luffy's face. "It's late. Don't you want to go back to sleep?" He asked gently, watching as Luffy shook his head.

Zoro wasn't sure if the younger didn't want to go to bed because of the nightmare, their previous actions, or both. "Are you sure? We have a long day tomorrow."

The younger tightened his arms around Zoro's neck slightly. "I just want Zoro." Because Zoro had changed positions at some point and was hovering over him now, Luffy leaned up to kiss him. Zoro responded to the kiss, pushing Luffy back down into the mattress. As they kissed, Zoro pressed down on Luffy, grinding his half-erect, clothed member against Luffy's own. At the friction, Luffy moaned into the elder's mouth, unintentionally bucking his hips up against Zoro's.

Zoro slowly pushed Luffy's shirt up, allowing his hand to travel up to take one of the younger's nipples between his fingers. He pinched the small bud a few times, and then rolled it between his fingers, causing Luffy to let out another low moan. He suddenly broke their kiss, peering at Luffy with a serious look. "What exactly do you want?" He needed to know how far to take this, so asking Luffy would be the best thing to do. He was willing to do whatever Luffy told him.

Luffy honestly wanted anything that Zoro could give him at this point. It all felt too good and he didn't want it to stop. "E-everything." He replied, slightly breathlessly.

Zoro wasn't completely expecting Luffy to say that. He wanted this just as much as Luffy and he didn't give a damn about what time it was either, but he had to make sure that this was something that Luffy really did want before he continued. "Even…?" Zoro trailed off and Luffy nodded.

"If it's with Zoro, then yeah."

The older teen took a deep breath. "Okay, but if you want me to stop, tell me."

Luffy smiled and tugged Zoro back down to resume their kiss. He slipped his arms from Zoro's neck, trailing his hands down the elder's tones arms. After he pulled away, Zoro worked on making his way back down Luffy's neck and to his chest, proceeding to tease Luffy's nipples again. While he toyed with one by using his fingers, he leaned down and took the other between his teeth. Luffy let out another moan as Zoro continued to tease him.

The elder gave Luffy's other nipple the same treatment before placing kisses down the younger's torso, stopping just at his bellybutton, and dipping his tongue inside. He swirled his tongue around it once, feeling the muscles beneath Luffy's skin contract. He moved even lower until he was at the waistband of Luffy's boxers that he tended to sleep in.

This wasn't the first time they had done this, but this time it was different because if Luffy didn't object, he was going to keep going farther than just this. Zoro palmed Luffy's fully erect arousal through the thin cloth of his boxers, before hooking his fingers into the sides of the younger's boxers, and lowering them. He slipped them from Luffy's legs and tossed them off to the side. Luffy's face heated up at being completely exposed to Zoro like this.

Whenever they had done these things before, neither of them had ever fully removed their clothing, so Luffy did feel embarrassed to be seen this way by Zoro. The fact that Zoro was still in his night clothes was unsettling as well. Zoro moved his hand so that Luffy's cock was between two of his fingers, and he lightly ran those two fingers up along it.

Despite the fact that it felt really good, Luffy did not like teasing. "Z-zoro… d-don't…"

Zoro smirked, feeling amused that he'd just got started and Luffy was already begging him not to tease. That only made him want to tease more, so he leaned down and grasped Luffy's hips to keep the boy from pushing them up as he swiped his tongue over the head of Luffy's cock. He pulled back a bit, watching Luffy's eyebrows draw down in frustration. "Zoroooo…"

Luffy turned his gaze to the older teen just in time to see Zoro lean back down and trail his tongue from the base of his cock to the very tip, licking away all of the pre cum that was there. He swirled his tongue around the slit before finally taking all of Luffy's erection in his mouth. Luffy tried to push his hips forward as Zoro's hot mouth descended on him, but Zoro prevented him from doing so. "Hah…Z-zoro…" He threw his head back into the pillows as Zoro moved his mouth and tongue, sucking and taking as much in as he possibly could.

Luffy gripped the sheets tightly in one hand while his other arm rested over his eyes. "I-I think-" At those words, Zoro pulled away completely. Luffy let out a whimper from the loss. He moved his arm and peeked at Zoro with a small glare.

Zoro moved up Luffy's body and pressed their lips together in a searing kiss. He pulled away and looked straight into Luffy's large eyes as he spoke. "You know you can tell me to stop anytime when I do this, all right?" The younger nodded once again, swallowing nervously. This was going to be a whole new experience if he managed to get through it, but if Zoro was the one he got to do it with, then he felt that he had nothing to worry about. Zoro caressed Luffy's cheek as he thought about what he was going to say next. "You know, Luffy. You're the only person I've ever done this with."

The younger didn't say anything for a few seconds, kind of shocked that Zoro had just admitted that he hadn't done such intimate things with another person before. "Really?" He felt privileged in a way that he was the very first person that Zoro got to do these things with. And, also that no one else but him got to have Zoro.

Zoro nodded and pressed their foreheads together again. "And, I don't want to do these things with anyone else but you, because I…" Zoro paused for a couple seconds, trying to piece his thoughts together and say what he truly wanted to say to Luffy. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone before. I know I've never truly said it, but I mean it."

Luffy's eyes widened a fraction at those words. Zoro had said he loved him before, but never once had it sounded so serious and heartfelt. There was no denying that Zoro was telling him this because it was what he honestly and truly felt. Luffy smiled at the older teen. "I love Zoro too. That's why I trust you so much."

Zoro returned Luffy's smile and kissed him. "Just remember what I said about stopping."

After that, Luffy watched as Zoro reached over inside of this bedside drawer. The older teen had decided recently that it would be better to be prepared if something like this ever did happen. He retrieved the tube of lubricant he'd bought from the drawer, and opened it, coating three of his fingers in the substance. The younger watched him with curious and slightly confused eyes, his stomach still feeling a tad nervous.

He'd never done this so it was natural for him to be nervous, he supposed, because it wasn't like he didn't want it or anything. He knew that he didn't want to do this with anyone but Zoro, this would just be his first time and he honestly had no idea what to expect. Ace had given him the talk about sex with a woman, but not another man, so he wasn't filled in all the way about how that was supposed to happen. Zoro seemed to know, so he'd let the other take control over this.

Zoro placed the tube on the stand by his bed and spread the lubricant over his fingers to coat them completely. "This might feel weird." Zoro remarked as he nudged the younger's legs further apart.

Luffy honestly didn't understand what Zoro meant by that until he felt the other's fingers rest right at his entrance. So, that was how it was supposed to be done. The second that Zoro began pushing a finger in, he suddenly was brought back to that time in the alley on the first day he and Ace had moved in. That had been a terrible experience that he did not want to relive. Even though it had occurred months ago and he'd never once seen those two guys since then, he remembered how painful it had felt when one of them had violated him there with whatever object it was he used. But, this was Zoro, so it had to be different, right? Zoro pushed his finger in further, and Luffy's instincts took over as his body tried to force the intruding finger back out.

Zoro frowned, realizing that this wasn't going to work if Luffy couldn't keep his body relaxed. He was just about to tell the younger, when Luffy spoke up instead. "W-wait, Zoro."

Zoro stopped, looking to Luffy who appeared to be looking slightly panicked. "What's wrong?" Zoro asked worriedly. He didn't want to make Luffy feel uncomfortable.

Luffy hesitated and glanced away from Zoro's face. Did he really want to tell Zoro the reason for why he suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable with this now? He didn't want to, but he knew that in order to get past this, he'd have to. "I just… I k-kind of had a bad experience when we first moved here…"

The elder retracted his finger the rest of the way; he hadn't gotten it in very far anyway. Luffy had his attention with that statement. If what Luffy was about to tell him had to do with why he'd suddenly let his body tense up so bad, then he wanted to hear it, so he could help fix this problem. "How bad?"

"Very bad." Luffy swallowed, remembering what had exactly happened that day. "I-I didn't know this was how, well, you know… how this was done, and I told Ace, but no one else." The younger didn't know how he was supposed to go about saying this to Zoro. "It was before you found me, I guess, when I was beat up. One of the guys who did it, h-he um, well… he used something there. I don't know what, but it hurt really badly." Luffy was no longer very upset by the experience. He didn't like to think about it, but the worst part was trying to tell someone else about it. He didn't exactly like to go into detail about it either because that was too embarrassing.

Zoro was unsure about how to respond to something like that. It was apparent that Luffy was hurt very badly back then, but he had no idea that the younger had been violated like that. He didn't feel like that was something he needed to know at the time, but it was extremely important in a situation like this. He felt angry that anyone could do something like that to Luffy, but he was also glad that Luffy had spoken up about it, because this could change some things. "If that's the case, then do you want to wait?" He asked the younger, not sure about what else to say.

Luffy rested his hands on Zoro's upper arms. "No, I want this. It's just hard to stay relaxed."

"If you want to keep going, I can help. I'll go slow too."

The younger nodded. "Will it hurt?" He asked feeling extremely worried about that detail.

Zoro wished he could tell the other that it wouldn't hurt, but he knew that it would. "It will hurt, but I promise you that it won't hurt nearly as bad as what you just told me. I'll be as careful as I can, and try to make it less painful. It won't hurt very long though, so you'll just have to bear with me at the beginning."

Luffy didn't like to know that it was going to hurt, but Zoro would never hurt him intentionally, so he knew that Zoro would try to make it as less painful as he could. Zoro moved his first finger back to Luffy's entrance. He pushed it in a tiny bit, already feeling Luffy's muscles tense. "It's okay. Just relax the best you can." He leaned down and captured Luffy's lips with his own in hopes that he could help distract the boy by doing so. He slowly inched his finger inside all the way to his knuckle. He could feel how tight Luffy's walls were and he moved that digit around to help loosen the other up some.

Luffy felt uncomfortable more than anything. It wasn't painful, just strange. Zoro continued to loosen Luffy up until he was sure he could add in the second finger. He slowly pushed the second finger in, feeling Luffy tighten once again and let out a small whimper into the kiss. He managed to get the second finger past the ring of muscle, and Luffy bit into Zoro's lip from the pain that it caused.

Zoro waited for the younger to adjust to the second finger before beginning to scissor them to loosen him even more. He did this for a bit, and just when he felt that Luffy was ready for the last finger, the first two brushed a certain spot that made Luffy arch his back and see nothing but white. Whatever that was that Zoro pressed in there, it had felt damn good. Luffy broke the kiss and moaned. "Zoro, d-do that again!"

The elder smirked when he realized that he had found Luffy's prostate. This made things a lot better. He thrust his fingers into that spot, slipping in his third finger while he was at it. Luffy had felt a bit of pain at that third finger's entrance, but the feeling of Zoro hitting that special spot had drowned out a lot of it.

Once Zoro was done prepping Luffy, he retracted his fingers. The younger whined, not wanting Zoro to stop. "Zoro-"

"I think you'll like this better, but it might hurt at first." He replied, reaching for the lubricant again. Luffy watched Zoro, interestedly, as the elder proceeded to push down his boxers low enough so that he could coat his arousal with the lubricant. Zoro gritted his teeth at the sensitivity of applying the cool substance. He tossed the lubricant back on the stand and positioned himself between Luffy's legs, spreading them further apart. He leaned over Luffy, bringing his face close to the younger's again. "It's going to hurt, okay?"

Luffy locked his arms around Zoro's neck and nodded, pushing himself against the tip of Zoro's cock. Zoro slowly pushed into Luffy, stopping when he was about only an inch in because the younger had tightened around him already. "Just relax." He whispered into Luffy's ear. Luffy tried to do as Zoro said, knowing that it would help with the pain if he did so.

He bit into Zoro's shoulder to keep himself from crying out at the pain as Zoro pushed in deeper. A few tears slipped past from the pain as the elder teen continued, trying to get the toughest part over with for Luffy as quickly as he could without going too fast. Once he was all in, Luffy released his shoulder and Zoro pulled back slightly to look at the other, allowing him to adjust to him for a bit. "You good?" He asked, wanting to make sure Luffy was as comfortable as he could be before he decided to move.

"Y-yeah, I think." Luffy felt Zoro pull out until all that he still had in Luffy was the head. Then, he thrust back in at a slow pace, speeding up his pace just a little bit more each time he thrust in. The more Luffy adjusted to Zoro being inside of him, the easier it was for him to enjoy this, because the pain had died down considerably from when Zoro had first stretched him that much.

It took a few more trusts before Zoro found Luffy's prostate again, causing the younger to feel that pleasure once more, but it felt so much better this time. "Nng, ah… Z-zoro… move f-faster…"

Zoro did as such, thrusting into that spot over and over. He used one hand to lift Luffy's leg for a better angle, and the other one to grab Luffy's neglected cock.

Luffy wrapped his free leg around Zoro's back, tugging the elder down for a passionate kiss. Luffy found himself meeting Zoro at each thrust as Zoro moved faster, continuing to hit his prostate dead on almost every time. Between that and the way Zoro moved his hand along his cock, using his thumb to spread the pre cum that was now dripping because of how aroused he was, Luffy felt Zoro would drive him over the edge any second now.

"Ahh…Zoro! I-I can't-" With one more trust, Luffy hit his climax and came in Zoro's hand. Zoro thrust a few more times until he came, riding out of his own climax, and releasing himself inside Luffy.

Luffy collapsed back into the pillows, feeling exhausted and hot. Zoro slowly pulled out of Luffy, the younger still feeling sensitive as he did so. He used his clean hand to remove his undershirt and used that to clean his other hand, throwing the shirt off to the side somewhere. Then, he pulled his boxers back up since he hadn't completely removed them in the first place, and lowered himself on the bed next to Luffy.

The younger was still working on getting over his orgasm, his breathing coming out in soft pants. He turned his head to Zoro and grinned. "That was a whole better than I expected."

"Really now?" Zoro smirked back at him, pulling Luffy closer to himself.

"Uh-huh-" Luffy suddenly broke out into a yawn, feeling how tired he actually was, especially after those activities.

Zoro smiled at the boy and pulled the blanket over them both. He kissed Luffy on the forehead, making sure the younger would be warm for the rest of the night by holding him close and wrapping the blanket around him tight. "I think sleep sounds good." He remarked, looking at Luffy whose eyes were slowly slipping closed.

"Mm-hm…" Luffy trailed off, almost on the verge of falling asleep. "…love… Zoro…"

Zoro watched the younger as Luffy finally fell asleep against him, and even after that, he stayed awake himself a bit longer to simply watch the boy sleep, before the urge to sleep became too much and he could stay awake no longer.


	24. XXIV: Unexpected Visit

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

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><p>A couple days later was the very next time that Luffy got to visit Ace. It was one of those rare days when both he and Zoro were off work, so the elder had driven them to the hospital for the day. It was also Saturday, so Luffy made sure to have Zoro wake him up early that way he could spend a lot more time with Ace today.<p>

They had been at the hospital for probably two hours now. Despite that it was noon, Luffy was utterly exhausted. He had trouble sleeping every night since that dream. The good thing was that he finally got to see Ace since then, and for the past few nights, Zoro had allowed him to sleep in his bed with him, which helped him fall asleep easier.

Since the night of his dream, or nightmare rather, the two had not engaged in any other sexual activities. Luffy was sore obviously, the next day, and after that the days had been exhausting because of school and work. Those two reasons were also why Luffy was so tired. That nightmare had definitely taken its toll on him. He was simply happy to be by Ace's side and see that the elder was alive and well.

Anyway, it was around noon, and Luffy found himself having to constantly keep his eyes open. They kept wanting to fall shut the longer he stayed there. Zoro had left the room some time ago for food, so during that time Luffy was trying to win a losing battle of sleep. He could lay his head on the side of Ace's bed, and he'd probably be out in no time, but he had to stay awake! Waking up extra early today didn't exactly help this situation either.

Luffy was just about to give in and lay his head on Ace's bed, when he felt a small tingling sensation on the palm of his hand, like it had been touched. He immediately looked down to the hand that he'd felt it on, which was currently holding Ace's own, but when he looked, nothing seemed to look out of place or be moving. He was most likely feeling things like that because he was so tired.

Once he decided that was the case, he resumed laying his head on the bed. The longer he remained in that position, the more tired he began to feel. His eyes drooped, and he felt like he was just on the verge of falling asleep when that same feeling from before returned to his hand. The very second it happened, Zoro walked into the room, carrying a few bags of what Luffy guessed was food. The younger forgot about the feeling because he was hungry.

"What'd you get?" He asked the older teen, choosing to keep his head where it was at. He felt too comfortable to move at the moment.

Zoro placed the bags down on the nearest table, beginning to open them, and pull out the containers of food. "Whatever looked decent to eat, which wasn't much." Zoro stacked the containers as he pulled the rest of them from the bags. "I got enough for the rest of the day… hopefully."

Luffy chose not to move. Yeah, he was hungry, but not hungry enough to warrant moving from his comfortable position. "Okay."

Zoro watched the younger, wondering why Luffy wasn't already getting something to eat. Surely he was hungry. Luffy hadn't eaten since before they left the apartment this morning. He let his eyes close, temporarily forgetting about Zoro and the food. "Are you not hungry?" Zoro asked approaching Luffy, coming to stand beside the chair the other was sitting in.

Luffy shook his head against the mattress. "M'really tired." He muttered, moving his free hand to grasp Ace's forearm. He pulled the elder's arm closer, snuggling against it.

"And, you're going to sleep here?"

Luffy didn't respond for a few seconds. "Yep…"

Zoro walked across the room to grab his jacket from the chair he had been previously sitting in. "This is why getting up early isn't a good idea sometimes." He explained, making his way back over to the younger. He didn't know where the blankets were kept, so he settled for draping his jacket over Luffy's shoulders.

"…mm-hm…" Zoro watched as Luffy allowed himself to fall asleep, still holding onto his brother's hand, and curled up to the elder's arm as well. The sight was rather adorable, and Zoro couldn't help but smile at it. Though, that position probably wouldn't feel too good when Luffy woke up from his nap.

Until Luffy did wake up, Zoro didn't have anything to do. He thought about it for a few minutes before glancing at Luffy once more. The boy would be okay by himself just for a few minutes while he left to the nearest waiting room. Those places had magazines and that seemed to be his only source of entertainment for the time-being, aside from Luffy, that is. But, watching Luffy sleep for who knows how long would get boring after a while.

With that, Zoro left the room in search for a waiting room. It had been a while since he'd last been to this hospital, which meant that he couldn't quite remember where that waiting room was. Deciding to take the chance, he went off in search of it, hoping that he would be able to find it and not manage to get himself lost in the process. Something told him in the back of his mind that it wasn't a good idea, but he went on with it anyway. It couldn't be too hard to find one. Right?

* * *

><p>He wasn't sure where he was or what was going on, but he could vaguely hear what sounded like two voices. One sounded slightly closer than the other, but neither sounded familiar or anything. Maybe that was because he couldn't even make out what they were saying, simply that he could hear people talking. That was the only thing he could comprehend though.<p>

Other than those two voices, there was nothing. He felt like he was trapped in this darkness, unable to move or speak, or even open his eyes. It was like he was not completely there, like parts were missing. The only sense he could use was his ears. They picked up whoever was talking, yet he still could not understand what that person was saying. Soon after that, there was silence, and he suddenly felt isolated and alone.

It was kind of scary in a way. Acknowledging that you're somewhere, but unable to see that place or touch things. He couldn't think either. Nothing was passing through his head, no thoughts, nothing. And, it was all so quiet. Well, it was quiet until his ears picked up what sounded like a voice. He couldn't understand them, but it sounded like a mumble, and it was near him, wherever he was.

The voice didn't say anything else after that point, which left him to wait, hoping that whatever it was that was wrong with him, that it would go away. He wanted to know where he was, to see his surroundings, and to be able to hear things properly.

It took longer than he would have liked before he was able to acknowledge something different, other than sounds. This time, he felt some kind of pressure. He didn't know where it came from or where it was being applied to, but he still felt it all the same. He tried doing something back, such as returning that pressure, but he didn't quite know how to.

What could have been minutes later – he didn't know – was when he felt a similar pressure in that same spot. It left a tingling sensation, and he didn't know how, but he felt himself move something, unintentionally giving back some of that same pressure to whatever had caused it in the first place. He didn't care that he didn't know how he did it, all he knew was that he felt calmer being able to do it.

He guessed that his senses were slowly returning to him. At an extremely slow pace too. He didn't know how to open his eyes yet, he couldn't smell or taste anything either. He managed to move whatever it was he'd moved the first time once more, this time feeling a soft texture as he did so. The longer he continued to experiment, with however he was able to move what he assumed was his body, the more he found he was able to move. He still didn't know what was what, but he could feel his body move the slightest bit in specific areas. Other areas that he knew were there, he simply could not move at all, which was a bit unsettling.

Quite a while later, a new sensation hit him, and he realized that he could now smell the air around him. It smelled really clean, yet he didn't particularly like the smell. It was too clean and also smelled of disinfectants, and sterile areas just did not have the best smell. Why would the air smell sterile though?

Soon after his sense of smell returned, so did what he could taste, or lack of taste for that matter. He honestly couldn't taste very much, and it was tough to part his lips. Now that he had some sense of the things around him, he felt better even if he couldn't get his eyes open yet. Also, the more his ears adjusted to his surroundings, the clearer he could begin to hear things. He distinctly heard a constant beeping. What it was, he wasn't sure, but it continued at a slightly slow pace. Then, as he focused on the sounds, he could hear breathing. It was quiet and even, but he could still make it out because it was close.

As his senses returned, so did his knowledge of which body parts were which when he moved them. And, by moving them, he meant he could only slowly move specific areas, except this time he knew what part of his body he was moving. For instance, when he wanted to move his fingers, he could feel them move, but only on one hand. They were tougher to move on his other hand, so he chose not to try. Each time he moved his fingers on the hand that was easy for him to, he felt them brush over something soft very lightly. That must have been because he couldn't move them fast.

He could feel his toes move the slightest bit on one foot. The other foot and leg wouldn't budge though. And, because he couldn't open his eyes, he decided to experiment with moving some more. He flexed his fingers, this time getting better movement out of them. He could feel that he had because when he moved them, they brushed over that soft spot again, but with more pressure.

The more he continued to flex them, the better it was to move them. He felt a sudden pressure on his fingers, and what felt like someone else's fingers grasping his own. After that, he heard some shifting and felt whatever it was he was laying on move a little bit. He kept trying to move his fingers, and when he did, he could hear what sounded like a small gasp.

He distinctly felt a hand on his arm as well, and then there was a voice. "Ace?.!"

The voice that spoke was much clearer. He could hear how familiar it sounded now that it was coherent, but he couldn't seem to place the voice with anybody. They had said his name, he knew that much. How exactly he knew it was his name, he wasn't sure, he just did. That meant they knew who he was, so he must know who they were. For the life of him, he couldn't remember anyone at the moment. He'd just got most of his senses back, so it was understandable.

"Ace?" That same voice said his name again, and he desperately wanted to see that person's face. If only he could just open his eyes, then he could. Why was it that he could move most of the rest of his body, but not his eyelids? He tried hard though.

He could feel his eyes move behind his eyelids, and he slowly closed his eyes tighter, letting up on the pressure after. As he did so, his eyes opened the slightest bit, but closed once more. He tried again, closing them tight and letting them reopen, blinking as he did. Each time he did this, he could open them further, until he tried one last time and succeeded in slowly opening his eyes all the way.

The very first thing he saw was lots of white, everywhere. The entire room was white, which only proved to hurt his eyes because it was so bright and he wasn't used to all of this light at once. He shut his eyes again for a few seconds, allowing them to reopen sometime later. This time, the light was exceptionally bearable.

Things were kind of blurry at this point. It was difficult to make out any of the objects near him. "Ace? Can you hear me?" Ace turned his head slightly, looking over in the direction of the voice that had spoken his name. He blinked a couple times, attempting to clear his vision, so he could see the person better.

It took some time, but his eye sight slowly cleared, and that person was completely visible to him now. He immediately recognized the boy staring at him with wide eyes, and he parted his lips, attempting to speak the other's name. "…ffy…" His voice cracked and he found it extremely difficult to talk. He swallowed and tried again. "Lu…ffy…"

The younger was beyond shocked, but he was immensely happy at the same time. He'd woken up because he felt something move against his hand a few times. Then, when he noticed that it was Ace moving his fingers, he tried calling out to the elder, surprised that he had suddenly started moving like that. He hadn't expected Ace to wake up. He'd hoped, but certainly did not expect it.

Luffy couldn't help the large grin that had taken over his features. "Ace, I-I can't believe this… you're actually awake!"

Ace observed what he could see of his surroundings, looking confused by them, as well as Luffy's exclamation. He opened his mouth to speak to the younger once more, trying to get the words out. "W-where…?"

Luffy took in Ace's expression and watched his brother's eyes move around the room. At Ace's incomplete question, he understood what the elder was trying to ask. "What is this place?" He offered, so that Ace wouldn't have to go through the trouble of asking. Ace gave a slight nod. "You're in the hospital. I guess you don't remember, huh?"

The elder brother shook his head. He had no clue why he was in the hospital. He couldn't remember anything except Luffy. The younger decided to fill Ace in very briefly about why he was here. "Shanks said you were in a car accident, and you got hurt really badly. You've been in the hospital for a little over two months because of a coma."

Ace slowly processed that information. Now that Luffy mentioned Shanks, he remembered the older man, but he couldn't recall a single thing about a car accident. "I… don't remember…" He managed to speak better this time without too much difficulty. But, then Luffy's words registered in his head again, and he realized that Luffy had said he'd been in the hospital for over two months. That was quite an amount of time. And, he had no idea how Luffy had coped over that time either. He was supposed to be the one person that was always there for Luffy when he needed him to be, and yet, he hadn't been the past two months. "…I'm sorry." He squeezed Luffy's hand back, offering the other a deep look of apology.

Luffy was confused by Ace's apology. "What for?"

The elder smiled at Luffy. "I… couldn't take care of my baby brother… now could I?"

"You don't have to be sorry about that." Luffy replied, returning Ace's smile. "Zoro's done a really good job of taking care of me!"

"Zoro?" Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "I'll have to thank him then."

"So, you remember Zoro?"

"Like I would forget my brother's only crush."

Luffy grinned sheepishly. Ace had missed quite a bit over the past two months. "Well… it's not really like that anymore…"

Ace blinked. What did Luffy mean by that? "You don't like him anymore or something?"

"No! I do! It's just that, well, Zoro and I have kind of been together for a while now." Luffy admitted, unsure of how Ace would react to that.

Of all the things Luffy could have told him, Ace was expecting something like that to be the last thing that came out of Luffy's mouth. It wasn't all that surprising though, and he was happy for Luffy. Zoro was a great friend, and Luffy deserved someone who treated him as well as Zoro did. He absently moved his thumb over Luffy's hand. "That's great, Luffy."

The younger giggled. He was happy that Ace was so accepting of it. His eyes roamed over Ace's body and he remembered the elder's injuries. Ace hadn't shown that he was in any pain, but he wanted to make sure. "Are you feeling okay?"

Ace glanced down, noticing the state in which his am was in, and feeling the cast around his leg. He didn't feel any pain, but that was probably because he was on some kind of pain medication for it. "I feel fine."

"That's good!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. "But, shouldn't I get a nurse…?"

"Maybe in a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Zoro had finally located a waiting room, getting lost on the way to it, and he now was heading back in the direction that he assumed was where Ace's room was carrying two magazines with him. He'd spent so much time looking for the damn waiting room; he hoped he would be able to get back without as many difficulties.<p>

He tried to remember the way he took to get there, but he'd gotten lost so much that it was nearly impossible to find his way back using that method. He settled for letting his feet lead him in a random direction instead.

Luck must have been on his side for once because even though he managed to get lost once, he did find his way back to the room without too many problems. As he approached the door, he thought he could hear voices, but he wasn't sure how that could be considering Luffy was asleep when he'd left the boy. Though, he had been gone longer than he should have, so maybe Luffy had woken up.

He approached the door and walked in, stopping at the sight before him. Luffy was talking about something or another; he wasn't exactly paying attention to what he was saying. He was more interested and shocked by the fact that Ace was awake. Zoro was so surprised by that, that he didn't even realize when the magazines he'd spent so much trouble getting, slipped from his hand into the floor.

That had caught the attention of both brothers, and Luffy stopped talking, looking over at Zoro. He broke out into a grin when he saw the older teen. "Zoro! Can you believe it? Ace woke up!"

Zoro stared at the scene for a second before realizing that he'd dropped the magazines. He crouched down to pick them up. "When did this happen?" He asked as he stood, placing the magazines on the nearest surface. He didn't necessarily need them at the moment.

He approached Luffy, who couldn't seem to wipe the grin off his face. "A few minutes ago." Then, Luffy realized that Zoro had not been in the room the entire time since Ace had woke him up. "Where'd you go?"

The older teen noticed his jacket lying in Luffy's chair behind the boy, where it must have slipped from Luffy's shoulders. "To find something to read." He replied, retrieving his jacket, and draping it over the back of Luffy's chair.

"Zoro?" Both teens looked to Ace, who offered Zoro a smile. "Luffy tells me you've been taking care of him."

Well, Luffy had been living with him, but Shanks had helped a lot too. Without Shanks giving them some extra money, Luffy would not have been able to stay with him. "I wasn't the only one."

"Yeah! Shanks helped too, right?" Luffy asked the other teen.

Zoro nodded in response. "He gave us the money we needed so Luffy could live with me."

Ace lifted a brow. "You lived together?"

"Yep!" Luffy exclaimed. "And, you don't have to worry about a thing, Ace! Shanks and Zoro took care of me, and I'm sure Shanks did lots of other things too. But, the best part is that I got a job with Zoro!" Luffy was ecstatic to be speaking to his brother like this. He had so much to tell the elder.

"A job?"

Luffy nodded at Ace. "I haven't been to the apartment in a while, but I used all the money I made to pay our rent and bills, so that when you get out of the hospital, we can live together again!"

At those words, Zoro felt what he thought could only be a longing for Luffy to stay. He'd gotten so used to the younger living with him. It was great that Ace was awake, but he knew he would miss Luffy staying with him. If that was what Luffy wanted though, then he couldn't stop him. There would be no reason for Luffy to continue living with him once Ace was out of the hospital, and it's not like he could afford to have Luffy stay with him unless the boy used the money he made from work. Actually, once Ace was released from the hospital, whenever that may be, there wouldn't be a need for Luffy to work anymore.

Those things weren't very important, but if Luffy quit his job and moved out, he'd be left to go back to his old, boring lifestyle. Then again, maybe Luffy would keep the job. He wouldn't know until he talked to him about it. "Did Shanks let you get a job?" Ace asked, curious about that.

Luffy shook his head. "Nope, but I asked Zoro and he said it was okay, so I talked to our manager before I got the job, and he let me have it!"

The more Ace spoke, the easier it was for him to have this conversation. "What is this job exactly?" There really was a lot for him to catch up on over the past two months.

"This fancy restaurant in town! It's really fun and I like it!"

"Luffy," The younger glanced up at Zoro, giving him his attention. "I'm going to go make a call. Maybe you should get the nurse."

Luffy looked from Zoro to Ace and blinked. "Oh, right! I forgot about that…" He laughed sheepishly, and looked around. "Where's the button…?"

"I'll be back." Zoro announced, just before leaving the room once more. He had his cell phone this time, so he could simply stand outside of the room and make his call. He figured someone who should really know about this, would be Shanks. He saved the man's number in his phone a few weeks back, but never needed to use it until now.

Luffy lifted part of the blanket covering Ace, finding the responder for the nurse underneath. He pulled it out and pressed the button. "There."

"So…" Ace began. Luffy placed the responder back, and looked at him. "You and Zoro?"

The younger smiled. "Yeah…"

"How long?"

Luffy thought back, remembering that it hadn't been too long after Ace was first in the hospital. "The whole two months."

Ace hadn't thought it would be that long. "Wait, it wasn't before all of this, was it?"

Luffy grinned. "No, after. Zoro was helping me a lot then, like trying to make me feel better, and it just ended up happening."

Ace could only imagine what Luffy had been feeling then. He didn't know how bad his injuries were, but Luffy had to be upset nonetheless. At least Zoro had been around at that time, as well as Shanks. Those two seemed to have helped a lot. "How are you taking things?" Ace only asked these kinds of questions because he was curious, and also because this was Luffy's first relationship, so he wanted to make sure that Luffy and Zoro were okay with how it was going. "You haven't taken things too far, have you?"

Luffy scratched the back of his neck, unsure of how to tell Ace that their relationship had gone deeper than the elder probably thought. "How far is too far?" Luffy felt slightly unnerved asking that, and it showed in his expression.

The older brother's eyes narrowed just a bit at Luffy's question. Why was Luffy asking something like that? Shouldn't he know how far was too far? Or maybe he did know, and then that could only mean that… Ace's eyes widened a fraction as he realized why exactly Luffy was acting the way he was. It wasn't because Luffy didn't know what he was talking about, it was because he did know and the expression the younger had on his face told him that he knew about it really well. "You didn't… did you?"

"I didn't what?" Luffy asked, his grin widening ever so slightly, giggling the tiniest bit. He honestly didn't want to straight out say it because it was too embarrassing to be talking about to Ace. What he and Zoro did together on their own time when it was just them two, didn't concern anyone else, even his brother. But, he guessed that since, technically, Ace was his guardian he did have the right to know. Though, Luffy wasn't sure if Zoro would appreciate it if he told, but he more or less had to.

"Luffy! Tell me you and Zoro didn't."

"I don't know what you're talking about. What exactly is it that Zoro and I didn't do?"

Ace couldn't believe what he was hearing from his little brother. This wasn't something he expected to happen for quite some time. "You know what I mean. You and Zoro… are you two having sex or not?.!"

Luffy's face definitely turned a shade of red at Ace's exclamation. It was one thing to hint at it, and another thing to shout it out like that. He coughed and shifted his eyes, unable to look Ace in the face. "Um…"

"Well?" Ace urged, desperately wanting to know. This was his little brother after all. It was important that he knew these things.

Luffy swallowed, feeling anxious. "It was only one time! Well, one time that we went through with the whole thing, you know? Because we did other stuff, just not that."

Ace didn't have enough time to process that completely, let alone give a response before a nurse walked into the room. She looked pleasantly surprised to see that he was awake. "This is quite unexpected." She announced with a smile as she approached the bed. "Are you feeling okay? Nothing hurts, does it?"

"I haven't moved much, but nothing hurts so far." He replied, deciding that his and Luffy's conversation could wait until another time that was more appropriate.

"It's nice to see that you're finally awake. Just sit tight for a bit while I go get the doctor." After that, the nurse left the room.

Ace looked back at Luffy, who was idly picking at the hem of his shirt. He was unsure if he could actually look at Zoro the same ever again, knowing that the older teen and his little brother had engaged in such activities together. Ace sighed softly. What was done was done and he couldn't change the fact that Luffy was no longer a virgin. Not that it was a huge deal or bad in anyway, it was just odd, and there was a part of him that wanted to preserve Luffy's innocence. That part had obviously failed in its mission to do so.

Luffy hesitantly looked up at Ace. "You're not disappointed or something, are you?"

Ace was in no way disappointed in Luffy for something like that. He never had been disappointed in Luffy for anything before. "No, of course not." Because Luffy was still holding his hand, Ace gave it a tiny squeeze. "Look Luffy, I wouldn't be disappointed in you for that. I mean, as long as it was what you and Zoro wanted, then I can understand why you did it. I know you wouldn't let it happen unless you felt it was right."

"It was." Luffy stopped toying with his shirt, feeling better about Ace's reaction. "It had to be. I had this really bad dream and Zoro was there for me. Things just happened from there and I wanted him to keep going, so I told him. I love Zoro a lot, and Zoro said he loves me too."

Ace caressed Luffy's hand with his thumb lightly to reassure the younger that he was okay with this. "You're old enough to decide these things, and I can't keep you from doing them if that's what you and Zoro want."

Neither said anything else for a few minutes after that until Luffy spoke up, deciding to switch the subject. "I wonder when you'll get to go home now that you're awake."

Ace turned his head to stare at the ceiling as he replied. "I don't know. Let's hope it won't be too long. I don't think I want to be here any longer than I have to."

"I just want to live with Ace again." Luffy replied, absently staring at their hands. "I like staying with Zoro and all, but it's different without you around. I missed it. And, it's been hard with you in the hospital. At first, I didn't know what I was going to do, and I wasn't even allowed to do anything. You were hurt too badly, so it was hard to hug you and stuff like that. I only wanted to because it would make me feel better. Then, I had that horrible dream and I couldn't even see you." Luffy sniffled, attempting to control his emotions. He wasn't necessarily sad, he was happy more than anything actually. He assumed that he was feeling like this because the past two months had been hard for him, and he hadn't known if Ace would wake up, but now he had. He just felt so relieved and happy that he couldn't control it. Luffy brought his sleeve up to wipe his eyes before they teared up too bad, and grinned. "That's okay though, because you're awake."

Ace felt bad for making the younger worry so much over him. He didn't like to see Luffy upset, and he disliked it even more if he was the reason causing Luffy to be upset. He tugged on Luffy's hand. "Come here."

Luffy complied, releasing Ace's hand as he stood up. Although it was difficult, Ace managed to move that arm, and held it out, a silent gesture for Luffy to give him a hug. Luffy carefully moved to sit on the edge of Ace's bed. The elder wrapped that arm around him, and he leaned down, finally being able to give Ace a proper hug after all of this time. It had been one of the very few things he'd wanted to do. "Feel better?" Ace asked, being cautious of the IV in his arm as he gently rubbed Luffy's back. He could feel the younger nod against him in response. "I never meant to make you worry."

"I know." Luffy mumbled against Ace's shoulder.

Luffy pulled away just as Zoro walked back into the room. The older teen placed his phone in his pocket. "Shanks is coming." Zoro said, sitting in the chair Luffy previously occupied.

Luffy blinked. "Shanks? Did you call him?"

"I did. He said he'll probably be here in an hour, maybe longer." Right after Zoro finished his sentence, the doctor came in. Luffy slid off the bed so that he wouldn't be in the way. And, Zoro unexpectedly pulled him in his lap. The younger turned to look at him with a confused expression, and Zoro smirked. "I heard everything you said."

"You did?"

Zoro lowered his voice slightly as the doctor began asking Ace questions and examining him. "I was only outside the door."

"Should I have told him? I wanted to, but I didn't know if you did."

Zoro tightened his arms around Luffy's waist. "It's fine. I think it's good that he knows." Both Zoro and Luffy glanced over at Ace who was currently having his eyes checked by the doctor. Luffy leaned back against Zoro's chest. "Are you happy?"

Luffy tilted his head back to look at Zoro, and smiled wide. "I'm very happy."

"Good. I'm glad." Zoro replied, resting his head on Luffy's shoulder as they listened to what the doctor was saying.

They continued to listen and watch the doctor, as well as Ace for the next couple of minutes. Luffy couldn't be happier to see his older brother like this; awake and looking well. And really, to say Luffy was happy could be a bit of an understatement.


	25. XXV: Finally Going Home

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: This was planned to be finished yesterday, but I had a friend over and got distracted, so that did not happen! But, it's here now!

* * *

><p>Luffy was excited and bored. He was also feeling slightly impatient as well. It had been an entire week since Ace had woken up from his coma. Luffy still did not get to visit as often because of work, and on one of the few days that he actually was off work, he was left to wait until he could go to the hospital. He was so anxious that he could hardly stand it. He needed something to distract himself with.<p>

What had happened was this. Zoro initially had to go to work at the usual time he did on Saturdays and Sundays, if he wasn't off, but today he happened to be called in earlier to take over another waiter's shift. Neither of them had even gotten ready for the day, so by the time that Zoro did shower and get dressed, there was no way he had enough time to stop by the hospital and drop Luffy off. Instead, he told the younger to wait at his apartment and he'd make sure to call Shanks on his way to the restaurant and tell the man to pick Luffy up from there.

Zoro had left approximately fifteen minutes ago and Shanks was apparently staying with Ace at the hospital since Luffy was unable to do so. That meant it shouldn't take Shanks too long to get to Zoro's apartment to get him. Luffy hoped that Shanks was on his way to pick him up. He had no way of knowing if the man was or not.

He had to be there though! Today was an exciting day. The reason why it was so great was because Ace got to go home. When Zoro and Luffy had found out, they began moving Luffy's things from Zoro's apartment back to his own apartment a few days ago. The only thing that disappointed Luffy about this was that he would miss living with Zoro. He planned to return home with Ace today too, so he wouldn't be here by the time that Zoro returned. He'd get to see the older teen tomorrow at work, but he was so used to being around Zoro a lot since he lived with him, that it would be odd when he suddenly wasn't. He knew he'd miss all of this.

Luffy sighed and moved to sit at the small table that he and Zoro eat at. He glanced down, noticing the stack of envelopes sitting on the table top. Zoro hadn't checked the mail today, but he did yesterday. He'd simply placed it all on the table, saying he'd look through it later. Luffy had nothing else to do while he waited on Shanks, so he idly shuffled through the pile.

He just could not wait to see Ace again and go home with him, yet he had this sinking feeling in his chest of having to leave Zoro. He always hated when he was stuck in situations where he wanted to do something, but doing so would make him feel bad about not being able to do something else. In this case, he felt ecstatic to move back in with Ace, yet he didn't want to leave Zoro at the same time.

Luffy recalled that day at the hospital, a week ago, when Ace had woken up, and the doctor had been examining him. After the doctor finished, he mentioned that Ace would have to remain in the hospital for another week, and if he was doing fine by then, he could be released. During that week, they would work on getting Ace up and walking around, so that by the time he left the hospital, he could actually move. They also had to make sure that any internal damage he had sustained from the accident would continue to heal okay. If Ace was in good enough shape, he could leave the hospital in a week. Shanks had called them last night to inform them that there was a high probability that Ace would get to go home the next day, which would be today.

From what Luffy could gather, the only other injuries that Ace had that could take some extra time to heal was his leg and his arm. Apparently, because his arm had only been fractured in a few pieces, and had two months to heal, it was almost fully healed, but his leg was another story. Ace's leg was broken in more than one place and that would definitely take months to heal. During that time, Ace would have to be on crutches until he could walk on it without them. He wouldn't be able to return to work for a few more weeks either.

Luffy came to the last two envelopes in the pile and stopped, realizing that they were both from his and Zoro's school. One was addressed to Zoro and the other was addressed to him. He wasn't surprised that one was for him considering a few weeks ago they had finally gotten around to getting Luffy's addressed changed to Zoro's at school while he was staying with the elder. He was simply curious more than anything.

He placed Zoro's aside and opened his, pulling out the paper from within. Once he unfolded the paper, he immediately knew what these were. They were their midterm grades from school. Luffy glanced over his, happy to see that his grades were better than they used to be. They weren't the best, but they were good enough for him. When he was done, he folded the paper, and stuck it back in the envelope.

Then, his eyes traveled to Zoro's, and he suddenly found himself curious about what Zoro's grades were. Zoro wouldn't really care if he looked at them, so Luffy opened Zoro's as well, scanning over the paper. He pouted when he realized that Zoro's grades were a lot higher than his own. He wasn't happy with his grades anymore since Zoro's were better.

Luffy was about to refold the paper and stick it in the envelope, when something near the top caught his attention. A grin broke out onto his face when he realized what he was looking at. Right at the top of the paper, on the left side stated Zoro's date of birth, which was his birthday of course! Luffy had never thought to ask Zoro about his birthday, and it was this month too. He'd have to get the elder something most definitely, but how long did he have until it was Zoro's birthday?

He looked at the day of the month, and his eyes widened. The eleventh was really close, wasn't it? What was today's date anyway? Luffy pulled the paper away from his face, trying to remember what today's date was. But, for the life of him, he could not remember. He wasn't very good at keeping track of things like that.

The longer he sat there trying to remember, the more frustrated he got because he couldn't remember and he wanted to know. He was startled out of thoughts, about what the date could possibly be, when there was a loud knock at the door. Luffy placed the paper down, and got up to answer the door.

Luffy was delighted to see that very man he had been waiting on to pick him up. He couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Shanks! You actually came!"

Shanks returned Luffy's grin with a smile. "Zoro called. He said he needed me to get you, so here I am."

"Okay! But, wait a second!" Luffy left the door open as he ran back into the apartment. He retrieved his last bag from Zoro's livingroom, and returned to the door where Shanks was waiting for him. "Ace is coming home today, right?.!" He asked as we walked out of the apartment. Luffy stopped and pulled a key from his pocket, making sure to lock Zoro's apartment behind him.

"The doctor said Ace can go home today." Shanks replied, watching Luffy's eyes brighten up at that news. "We just have to go back and get him."

"Really?.!" Luffy asked excitedly as they made their way out of the apartment building. "This is so awesome! I'm going to help take care of Ace once he's back home! I can't wait!"

"I've been thinking," Shanks began as they exited the building. "and since you have school and work, and it's obvious Ace needs someone to take care of him for a little while, that I'll stay with you two for a bit. That way if he needs anything while you're not around, at least I'll be there."

Luffy stopped just outside of the passenger's side of Shanks' car. "You'd do that?"

Shanks smiled at the boy. "Of course I would." The two got into the car, and Shanks hesitated before starting it. "Does this mean you officially are not living with Zoro anymore?" He asked, glancing over at Luffy.

Luffy looked down at his bag resting in his lap. He wished he could have at least told Zoro he'd see him tomorrow or something. The elder knew that Ace would probably be released today, so he was aware that Luffy was leaving as well. "Yeah, I'm going home with Ace tonight. I'm really going to miss it though. Living with Zoro's been fun!"

Shanks started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "You'll still see him at work and school, so it can't be too bad. You'll see him a lot."

It was silent after that for a few minutes. Luffy was left to his thoughts, and that's when he suddenly remembered Zoro's birthday. He turned to Shanks with wide eyes. "What's today's date?.!"

The older man found that question to be random, but answered nonetheless. "The tenth. Why?" He glanced at Luffy just in time to see the younger's eyes grow even wider.

"Are you serious?.! That doesn't even give me a whole day!"

To say Shanks was confused would be a correct assumption. "What are you talking about, Luffy?"

"Zoro's birthday! I just found out today and it's tomorrow!" Luffy looked distressed to know that it was so soon. How was he supposed to get Zoro something when he didn't have that much time?

"Why didn't you know before? Didn't Zoro ever tell you?"

"No!" Luffy shouted. "He never once told me, but I didn't ask either. I saw his grades that came in the mail and it was on there! I didn't know today was the tenth though! I don't have time to get him anything now."

"If you want, I could take you somewhere later to find him something, but also remember that you don't always have to buy someone things for their birthday."

Luffy sighed. "But, if I don't buy him a present, then what else can I give him?"

"Well, there are lots of possibilities. You could make him something or go somewhere. It's whatever you want to do for him."

The younger thought about what he could potentially make for Zoro. There were so many things you could make for someone for their birthday. You could make them a present or bake them something too. And, when that last part crossed his mind, Luffy got an idea of what he could make for Zoro. He hoped they'd have it at the apartment. If not, he could just have Shanks take him to buy it.

The ride to the hospital wasn't very long. They would have gotten there sooner, but Shanks had to stop at Luffy and Ace's apartment to grab an outfit for Ace to wear home, considering he didn't have any clothes at the hospital. He also planned to go to the grocery later for the two since most of the food they had went with Luffy to Zoro's when he first moved in with the older teen.

The second Luffy could see the hospital he found it very difficult to contain his excitement. He couldn't wait to go inside and see Ace. Then, once the doctor said it was okay and they got him ready, Ace could go home.

Shanks parked and they both got out, heading into the hospital. By this time, even Luffy had the way to Ace's room memorized. The only one who probably didn't was Zoro. So, he took Ace's clothes and headed straight for his room while Shanks talked to the woman behind the desk.

He grinned as he walked into the room, seeing Ace sitting up in the bed. "We brought clothes and a shoe, since you can only wear one." The younger laughed and placed the pile of clothes on the bed next to Ace.

Ace absently looked through them, glad to see that they'd grabbed a pair of loose sweatpants, because he wasn't sure if he could wear jeans or anything like that with the cast, and it was too cold for shorts. Well, for him it was, Luffy wore shorts all year round when he could for some reason. He always found it difficult to get the boy to wear pants in the winter instead of shorts.

"The doctor told us that I could leave today, so I guess I might as well get dressed." Ace remarked as he unfolded the black sweatpants. His arm was no longer in a sling and he could use it pretty well which made the process of getting dressed slightly easier. He did find it difficult to get the cast through one leg of the pants.

Luffy watched Ace, noticing how he was having some trouble with that leg. "Need help?" He asked, moving closer to the bed.

Ace fiddled with it for a few more seconds before giving up. He sighed. "Maybe."

Luffy leaned over and assisted Ace in pulling the fabric over his cast. Once that was done, the elder turned his body so he could stand from the bed easier. With Luffy's help, Ace managed to stand on one foot, and pull the pants all the way up. It was a tedious way of getting them on, but at least they were.

"There!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

Ace sat back on the bed and worked on pulling the hospital gown off. He grabbed the shirt and the one sock that Luffy had brought, tossing it to the younger. "You're a huge help, Luffy. Now, put that on." He ordered, smiling and lifting his foot.

While Luffy did that, Ace put his shirt on, feeling much more comfortable in his own clothes. Luffy stepped back after slipping the material over Ace's foot. "When do you get to leave today?"

"The doctor said he'd send someone with a wheelchair once you two showed up, so probably soon." Ace replied, attempting to put his shoe on.

"Oh! Can I push it?.!"

Ace gave Luffy a weird look, but noted that he shouldn't be surprised by anything that comes out of that kid's mouth anymore. "Sure. Knock yourself out."

Shanks came into the room right after Ace's statement followed by a nurse with a wheelchair. He grinned and held the papers in his hands up. "I got prescriptions, instructions, discharge papers, and a wheelchair."

"Does that mean we can leave now?" Luffy asked the older man, unable to contain his happiness.

Shanks nodded. "Yep."

Luffy turned to Ace with a large grin and giggled. "Come on, I'll help you!" He held out a hand for Ace to take. The elder did so and the nurse smiled, pushing the wheelchair closer to the two. Luffy helped Ace lower himself into the chair without hurting his leg. He then turned to the nurse. "Can I push him?" He asked, hoping that she'd say yes.

The nurse pondered on it for a few seconds. "I guess as long as I accompany you, it'll be all right. So, yes, you can."

Luffy gripped the handles on the wheelchair, bouncing on his feet, eager from being able to push it. Ace's eyebrow twitched when something important dawned on him in this situation. He tilted his head back to look at the younger. "Luffy, you better be careful." He warned, knowing how careless Luffy could be sometimes.

"Don't worry! I will!" The nurse made sure to grab Ace's crutches that were next to the bed. They had begun the process of having him use them over the past few days since his arm was in better condition. He could use them, just not for long amounts of time because they would strain that arm too much.

Luffy made sure to be extra careful when wheeling Ace so as not to bump into anything. When they reached the entrance of the hospital, Shanks went on ahead and got the car, so that he could pull it up to the front of the hospital. Luffy pushed the wheelchair outside of the hospital, waiting for Shanks to get back. He leaned on the chair, resting his arms on the handles.

"Hey, Ace…" Luffy suddenly began.

The elder didn't bother to glance back. "What?"

"Do you remember if we have cake at the apartment?" That was something that Ace had completely not expected Luffy to ask. Who asks that anyway?

"What the hell are you talking about? What do you need it for?"

"Well… I wanna make cupcakes is all!"

"_Why?_" Ace was beyond confused. Luffy had to be the most random person he'd ever had the pleasure of knowing in his entire life.

"Tomorrow's Zoro's birthday! That's why!"

Oh, then that definitely explained that random question. Ace frowned. How in the world was he supposed to know? "No, I don't remember. Maybe."

"I don't know if Zoro likes sweets that much, but if he doesn't, then I'll just eat them all!" Luffy exclaimed, laughing.

Ace rolled his eyes. His brother was such a dork. "Even if he doesn't, he'll probably still eat one since they're from you."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"I'm going to make them tonight and give them to him tomorrow!"

The elder chuckled. "Good luck with that."

When Shanks pulled up, Luffy once again helped Ace move from the chair to the passenger's side of the car. He smiled at the nurse and took the crutches from her, placing them in the backseat, and thanking her before they left.

It was pretty much a given that Shanks would be staying with them for at least the first week or two. When it became apparent that Ace could get around more easily and do things for himself better, then he'd go back home. So, he decided that once he got Luffy and Ace back home, he's probably go to get some food since they needed some.

He told them this on the way to the apartment, which meant that when they got there, Shanks gave Luffy the key, and told him that he'd be back in a few hours. Luffy helped Ace get out of the car and reached into the back for the crutches, as well as his bag that he'd taken from Zoro's. He closed the door, giving Ace the crutches, and waved to Shanks as the man left to get some groceries. "It's not hard to walk with those, is it?" He asked, worried that Ace may have a difficult time walking with them.

Ace smiled reassuringly at Luffy. "It's kind of hard, but I'll have to get used to them."

Luffy was still worried about Ace using the crutches on his own, especially with his arm not fully healed. He hesitated for a few seconds, before he let a grin seep onto his face. "Okay, but if you have trouble, tell me! I don't know what we'd do, but we'd figure out a way to get you to the apartment somehow!"

The elder brother laughed and moved the crutches forward, concentrating on the ground so that he wouldn't accidentally hit something on his way into the apartment building. They were difficult to get used to, but he knew he had to, so he had to try his hardest to use them. And, he definitely had to be cautious while using them, because if he ended up falling even once with them, oh he was so going to be pissed.

With only a few stops here and there because of Ace's arm, they made it to their apartment, using the elevator for obvious reasons instead of the stairs. Luffy unlocked the apartment and pushed the door open, allowing Ace to walk in first. He followed behind, closing the door behind them. It felt so odd to be home with Ace once again after not being able to for over two months.

Luffy flipped the lights on and followed Ace into the livingroom. "Couch or your room?" He asked, needing to know where Ace felt comfortable staying for right now.

"Couch is fine." Ace replied, placing his crutches together off to the side. He held onto the back of the couch so he could keep his balance on one foot.

Luffy placed his hands out in front of him in a gesture for Ace to stay there. "Wait right here! I'll be back!" He then proceeded to run into Ace's bedroom and retrieve a couple pillows, as well as a blanket. Luffy returned to the couch, stacking a couple on one side so that Ace would have something to prop his leg up on. He'd seen them do this at the hospital a couple times. "Then, you stay here. If you need anything, I'll get it for you!" Luffy announced. He walked over to Ace and helped the elder around the couch.

Ace got comfortable on the couch, since he figured he'd probably be here for a while, and rested his leg on the pillows that Luffy had gotten him. Luffy put the extra pillow he had behind Ace's back and handed him the blanket. "Let's see…" He thought about anything that Ace might need before he got started on making Zoro's cupcakes. "Here's this!" Luffy picked up the television remote and handed it to Ace. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to drink?"

"I'm fine, Luffy." Ace was immensely grateful to have a brother like Luffy. The younger just kept wanting to do things for him so he wouldn't have to.

"I'll be in the kitchen!" Luffy exclaimed. He went to the kitchen and began his search through the cabinets, realizing that he had taken more food with him to Zoro's than he'd originally thought. Luffy continued his search, his face brightening when he actually found a box of cake mix. He pulled it from the cabinet and turned the box around, reading the instructions and ingredients. He desperately hoped that he didn't mess these up. It said that he needed eggs, but he didn't actually think that they had those. Great, now he'll have to wait until Shanks gets back before he could make those cupcakes.

What could he do in the meantime? Luffy took a few minutes to think about that before it hit him. He could so make Zoro a birthday card! With that in mind, he walked out of the kitchen, passing Ace who was watching something on tv, to go to his bedroom. Luffy looked around his room for some paper and colored pencils. He didn't use those that much, but he did know he had some in there somewhere.

When he did find them, he went back to the livingroom, placing the paper and pencils on the table, and sitting in the floor opposite of Ace. The elder glanced over at him curiously. "I thought you were going to be in the kitchen."

Luffy opened the pack of colored pencils, dumping them onto the table. "I was because I wanted to make those cupcakes, but we don't have any eggs, so I'm going to make this until Shanks gets back." Luffy explained while trying to decide on what color he wanted to use first.

"And, what's that going to be?"

"A birthday card!"

Ace smiled at the younger. Luffy was definitely something else. "Zoro's going to love that." He replied, watching as Luffy folded the piece of paper in half to make it look more like a card.

"I hope so." Luffy said absently, picking up the red colored pencil. "He doesn't know that I know tomorrow's his birthday."

Ace lifted a brow. "Then, how do you know?"

"I saw it today on his grades that came in the mail!"

That was a different way to figure something like that out, in Ace's opinion. Why Luffy never thought to ask before, he wouldn't know, but knowing the younger it was just because the thought had never crossed his mind. Luffy did get lucky finding out the day before though. "He'll be in for quite the surprise then."

* * *

><p>Luffy spent the next hour or so decorating Zoro's birthday card. He couldn't wait until tomorrow when he'd get to give it to him, but he was also excited for Shanks to get back home so he could make those cupcakes. The fact that Zoro had no idea that he knew made it all the better. Luffy figured that since the only time he would probably get to see Zoro tomorrow would be at work, that he'd give the elder his card and cupcakes then, as long as the cupcakes did turn out good.<p>

By the time that Shanks got back home, Luffy had been waiting on the floor, leaning against the couch, watching whatever was on television. He was just on the verge of dozing off when he heard the door open. Ace had already fallen asleep sometime ago, which left Luffy to simply sit there and wait. The second he heard the door open, he got up and rushed to the man who had his hands filled with grocery bags. Luffy grabbed a few from him. "Did you get any eggs?.!" Those were essential for the cupcakes, so Luffy hoped that Shanks had bought some.

Shanks laughed. "Of course I did." He replied while walking into the kitchen.

Luffy followed behind, placing the bags he had next to the ones that Shanks set on the counter. "Where are they?" He asked, beginning to sort through the various bags.

Shanks grinned and picked up the correct bag, handing it to Luffy."Here. What do you need them for anyway?"

The younger picked up the box of cake mix he'd put on the counter earlier and held it up. "Cupcakes for Zoro!"

"So, you decided to make him something after all?"

Luffy nodded. "Yep! And, I'm going to get started right away!" He took the eggs from Shanks and placed those, as well as the cake mix, next to the stove. Then, he proceeded to look through the cabinets until he found Ace's flamed apron. He pulled it out and put it on so that he wouldn't get his clothes dirty. Not that he really cared if they did get dirty, but he also found it awesome to wear the apron.

Shanks went about putting all of the groceries away while Luffy read the back of the box, and began to look around for everything he needed in order to make the cupcakes. This actually wasn't the first time Luffy had baked something before. He wasn't the best at it, but he was getting better. He used to help Ace all the time, and they also baked a lot of things in his home ec class. Sanji had taught him how to bake quite a few things. Cupcakes were not something he'd attempted before though.

Luffy retrieved a large bowl from one of the cabinets and set to making the batter with as much concentration as he could muster. Shanks finished putting the groceries away and decided to leave Luffy to it, going back out to his car where he had some of his clothing that he'd picked up from his apartment while he was out. After he got those, he decided to go and shower since he didn't plan on leaving anymore for the rest of the day.

It took some time, what with having to get the exact measurements of things that he needed to add to the mix, but Luffy succeeded in making the batter okay. At least, he hoped it was okay. Even though he did manage to make a mess with it, especially once he found a pan made to bake cupcakes in, Luffy was satisfied when he put them in the oven to bake. The only thing left to do now was to wait until they finished.

In the meantime, since they usually did take about half an hour or so to bake, Luffy felt that a nap was in order. Though, he probably should let Shanks know about the cupcakes in case he didn't wake up when they finished. Once he sought out the elder man, then he could go and get comfy on the floor next to Ace.

And, that was exactly what he did. He discovered that Shanks was in the shower and called through the door, asking the man if he'd wake him up when they finished. Then, he resided to the couch where Ace was still asleep.

He definitely hoped that Zoro would like his present. And, he couldn't wait until tomorrow at work. Zoro would most definitely be surprised.


	26. XXVI: Best Birthday

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: Okay. So, this chapter took so much longer to get out than I previously expected. This last week was filled with so much stuff that it just took me forever to complete this. But, I did, so that's all that matters! I hope to finish this story, and if I do, it'll be in the next few chapters. I do still have other things to take care of outside of writing this story, so don't be surprised if I end up taking longer to update. I don't think it matters that much anyway since it's coming to an end, but I still wanted to give a heads up about that. Anyway, hopefully you like this chapter!

Warning: This chapter contains M rated material.

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><p>Despite that it probably didn't look like it all that much, Zoro was really in a good mood today. He didn't have the best day yesterday considering he was going to go with Luffy to bring Ace home and it didn't end up happening. Sometimes, he despised his work greatly. Then, he had to work the rest of the day without Luffy around which made his day also not so great because he loved having the younger with him at work. After that, he went home and the realization finally set in that Luffy wasn't living with him any longer, so he felt slightly lonely in his own apartment. He vaguely noticed the opened mail on the table. Luffy had to be the one person to open it, and he didn't care that the other had.<p>

But, today would be good. It was Sunday and they both had work, so he'd get to see Luffy then. He also had something to ask Luffy because they were long overdue for it. Luffy should say yes, but he couldn't help but worry that he might not. For the most part though, Luffy should agree.

As Zoro got dressed for work, in the back of his mind he realized that if he were almost any other person, he probably wouldn't be too happy about having to go into work on his birthday. Honestly, he didn't care. To him, it was simply another day where he became one year older. And, now that he thought about it, he felt kind of old considering he only had one more year left until he would no longer be a teenager.

He was actually one of the eldest in his class too. What, with turning nineteen and still being in his senior year. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, he just felt a lot older being surrounded by younger students, like Luffy. Their ages weren't that far apart, yet he still felt so much older. Perhaps that was because Luffy acted younger than he is; that could be why. Not that any of that mattered. That was just him thinking.

Zoro finished getting ready and left his apartment, on his way over to Luffy's to pick the younger up. He figured it would be nice if they could both go to work together like they did when Luffy lived with him. And, since Ace may end up needing something, it was best if Shanks just stayed there. He didn't mind making a stop at their apartment.

When he pulled up, Luffy was already sitting outside waiting for him in his uniform. Luffy spotted him and immediately jumped up from the sidewalk with a large grin. Zoro stopped the car and Luffy raced over to the passenger's side, his hands suspiciously behind his back. He pulled one arm from behind his back to open the door, and poked his head inside. "Zoro!" Luffy made no signs of getting into the car.

Zoro lifted an eyebrow. "You getting in or not?"

Luffy's grin only seemed to widen. "Well, I've been wondering. Is there something you haven't told me?"

The elder was confused. Was there something he was supposed to tell Luffy that he hadn't? "I don't think so."

"Really?" Luffy pressed on. "There's nothing at all? Something today maybe?"

After a few seconds, Zoro understood what Luffy might be getting at, but he didn't know how Luffy could possibly know something like that when he'd never once told him about it. Zoro placed an arm on the steering wheel and turned slightly in his seat to face Luffy. "What are you talking about?" He asked, becoming very suspicious of the other.

Luffy giggled. "Today's Zoro's birthday, right?"

Now, Zoro was curious as to how Luffy had obtained that bit of information. "How do you know that?"

"Does it matter? I just found it! So, because today's your birthday, that means you deserve a present!" Luffy moved the other arm from behind his back and thrust it at Zoro excitedly. "Happy Birthday, Zoro! I made these for you."

Zoro stared at Luffy's hand for a bit, before reaching out and accepting what appeared to be a card, and the chocolate cupcake Luffy seemed to have decorated and placed on a small paper plate. This was definitely unexpected. It was rare that someone ever got him something for his birthday, let alone made it themselves.

Luffy then slid into the passenger's side and closed the door behind him. "We have a lot more inside too. I didn't know if you would like them, but-"

"No, I like them." Zoro immediately responded erasing any other doubts Luffy may have had about him not liking sweets. He pulled the card from underneath the plate to look at it, chuckling when he realized that Luffy had made that as well. "You'd go through the trouble of making all of this for me?" He asked, feeling happy about the fact that Luffy had thought about him.

"Of course! It's a good thing I found out about your birthday or I would have missed it. Why didn't you tell me?" Luffy had been curious about Zoro not telling him when it was so close. There really was no reason to keep it hidden.

"That's because I didn't think it was important." Zoro responded, swiping his finger over the chocolate icing and licking it off.

Luffy's gazed followed Zoro's movements and he frowned. "But, your birthday is important."

Zoro shrugged. "It hasn't been. That's why I didn't think to say anything about it."

The younger pouted. "That's not fair." Then, he suddenly brightened. "But, at least you have me! I'm going to make sure that today will be the best birthday you've ever had!"

Zoro casually lifted a brow, beginning to peel the paper away from the sides of the cupcake. "How are you going to do that?"

"You'll see!"

Luffy then proceeded to watch as Zoro was about to take a bite from the cupcake. Zoro noticed this and pulled the treat away from his mouth. He smirked and held it out toward Luffy's mouth. "Hungry?"

Luffy shook his head. "That's yours. You eat it."

Zoro pushed it closer. "I don't mind sharing. You did make it."

The other considered this for several seconds before leaning forward and taking a bite. He pulled back and would have grinned had he not have been eating. Luffy settled for smiling at Zoro instead. The elder noticed a small amount of chocolate from the icing next to Luffy's mouth. "Come here." He ordered, gesturing with one hand for Luffy to move closer. Luffy did so and Zoro leaned forward to lick the icing away. Afterwards, he made sure to give Luffy a quick kiss on the lips.

Luffy helped Zoro finish off the cupcake on their way to work. He was so excited! Zoro hadn't suspected a thing about later on. Little did the older teen know what was currently being planned at Luffy and Ace's apartment right now. He'd thought about it last night and immediately called their friends to see if they could make it the next day. Surprisingly, all of them could, even Sanji agreed to stop by. With some persuasion from Nami, of course.

Anyway, Luffy had decided after going over the idea with Ace and Shanks last night that he wanted to throw Zoro a surprise party. So, when the others agreed on helping out with it, he went ahead and called into work this morning to ask if they could get off earlier just for today. Franky knew about Zoro's birthday and also agreed to it. Luffy was ecstatic to know that. He and Zoro only had work for a few hours, then they'd get to leave about an hour before they usually did.

That would give all the others plenty of time to set everything up. And, if they had decided they wanted to get Zoro a present, it also gave them time to do that. They didn't have to, but knowing Vivi, she would probably want to and maybe even Nami and Usopp. Luffy wasn't sure if Sanji would be interested in doing that.

Regardless, he was still excited. He enjoyed being able to do this for Zoro. He only wished he could be back at the apartment helping some more, but he had no choice but to go to work. How he would manage to get Zoro to go back into the apartment with him after work was over, he didn't know, but he would somehow! He had plenty of time to think about that anyway.

Work was as it always had been. There was nothing too exciting going on there, except when Luffy decided at which point he wanted to put his little plan into action. He sincerely hoped it would go right and that Zoro would go along with it. This was for Zoro after all. He'd never do things like this with anyone but Zoro. At least, he wouldn't while he was with Zoro, which he was certain would be for quite a while.

Luffy decided that he'd take his break at the same time that Zoro did and do it then. That would probably be his only chance to do it. So, about two and a half hours into working when Zoro had finally decided that a break was in order, Luffy made sure to find the elder and let him know that he wanted to take a break with him. He finished up the table he was currently cleaning and retreated to the back, beginning his search for his boyfriend.

It wasn't terribly difficult to find Zoro; he was pretty easy to spot. When Luffy did, he bounded up to the teen and tugged on his sleeve with his usual grin on his face. "Ne, Zoro, I want to take a break with you!" He told the other, excited about what he hoped he'd be able to achieve with this.

"Have you finished everything you need to?" Zoro asked, needing to know if Luffy really was finished for the time being. It wouldn't be good to put Luffy on break if he still had things to clean up.

Luffy grabbed Zoro's hand with both of his and absently began swinging it. "Yesssss, so can I?.!"

The other nodded. "I guess."

Luffy couldn't be more happy about that response. "Will you come with me then?" He asked, practically bouncing on his heels from excitement.

Zoro fixed Luffy with a skeptical look. "Where to?"

"If you go with me, then you'll see!" The younger replied, not wanting to ruin the surprise he had for Zoro.

Zoro considered it for a few seconds before deciding that he may as well just go with Luffy. He was extremely curious about it though. Whatever it was, had to be the reason why Luffy suddenly wanted to take his break with him. "All right."

Luffy smiled and proceeded to then drag Zoro in the direction he wanted. Zoro allowed Luffy to pull him, choosing to look around and figure out where Luffy was exactly taking him. He realized not too long later that they were near the employee restrooms. Why Luffy would be dragging him there, he wasn't completely sure, but he may have had an idea. It was only a vague idea. He simply hoped that Luffy was careful and didn't allow any other employees to see.

He was correct in his assumption that Luffy was taking him into the men's restroom for employees only. Luffy pulled him inside, and he was relieved to see that it was currently empty. The younger did not stop once he was inside. From there, he kept leading Zoro into one of the unoccupied stalls. Which, if they were going to do anything, would be a good idea.

Luffy closed the stall door behind them and made sure to lock it real fast. He turned to Zoro, who by this point had a smirk on his face. Why else would Luffy take him into an empty bathroom stall on break? Luffy giggled and threw his arms around Zoro's neck, giving the elder a kiss on the lips. "How long is break?" Luffy asked the other, smiling goofily as he did so.

Zoro knew it hadn't taken very long to get to the restrooms, and he didn't feel like looking at his watch to get an exact time. "Fifteen minutes maybe?" He estimated.

"That's enough time!" Luffy exclaimed, removing his arms from Zoro's neck and beginning to trail his hands down the elder's chest. He stopped when his hands reached Zoro's belt and he smirked at him. "I want Zoro to have a good birthday, so I'm gonna do what Zoro likes to do to me. Is that okay?" Luffy intended to do it whether Zoro said yes or no. He absolutely loved it when Zoro did these things to him, so that meant that Zoro would like it too.

He'd wanted to do this to Zoro anyway after he'd gotten over his nervousness about it. Although, Zoro had allowed him to do some things that he wanted to, Luffy had never once been able to what he was about to do. He'd done things close to it, but not actually it. And, this was a special occasion, so he figured that it was about time he did, even if it was going to happen in the bathroom at work. As long as no one came in during it, then it couldn't be all that bad.

"Are you sure you want to?" Zoro asked. He didn't want Luffy to think he had to do this if he didn't necessarily want to. He wasn't against it either considering it had been a while since they'd done anything like this together.

Luffy looked down as he fiddled with Zoro's belt buckle. "I've always wanted to."

Zoro trailed a finger up Luffy's neck, tilting his head up to look at him. He grasped Luffy's chin with that hand and turned his head slightly as he leaned forward to meet Luffy in a deep kiss. As Zoro kissed him, Luffy moved his fingers to the button on Zoro's pants. Zoro pulled away and lightly placed one of his hands over the one that Luffy was using to unbutton his pants. "If someone walks in, stop. Other than that, do what you want."

Luffy grinned and nodded, resuming unbuttoning Zoro's pants when the elder pulled his hand away. Zoro kissed Luffy's neck as the younger slipped his hand inside Zoro's pants, caressing him through the thin cloth of his boxers. Zoro stifled a moan in Luffy's neck when he felt himself hardening from the ministrations. Luffy moved his hand to the waistband of Zoro's boxers, dipping it inside, and wrapping his hand around Zoro's arousal.

Zoro grit his teeth slightly when Luffy began moving his hand and touching specific areas with his fingers. It was extremely difficult not to fall into a moaning mess from it all. He knew this was Luffy's attempt to make him hard so that he could do what he initially brought them here to do. Zoro moved so that his back was facing one of the stall walls. That way he'd have something to at least lean on if he needed it.

The younger suddenly pulled back and lowered himself to his knees. He pushed Zoro's pants and boxers down a bit to free the elder's arousal. He gave it a couple experimental prods and touches, grinning all the while. Zoro disliked the teasing and let a sigh escape his lips. "Luffy…"

"I know, I know." Luffy responded, moving his hands to rest on Zoro's hips. He hesitated before moving his face closer and giving the tip an experimental lick. He vaguely noted the small noise he heard Zoro make from that. After a few more seconds, he decided to take a bit more into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the hardened flesh. Luffy could feel Zoro's fingers curl into his hair and push him forward.

He obliged that silent request, taking even more into his mouth. Luffy took in as much as he was capable of without choking and sucked on it, allowing his teeth to scrape over the skin lightly as well. He swallowed a couple times around it, knowing that when he did those things Zoro felt even more pleasure considering his grip would tighten further on his hair.

Luffy pushed on Zoro's hips to try and keep them still. Zoro felt like his legs could start shaking any second from the sheer amount of pleasure Luffy was causing him. He tried not to push himself any further into the younger's mouth because he didn't want to choke Luffy, but it was very hard to restrain himself. He could hardly keep his moans of pleasure to himself as Luffy continued.

He suddenly felt Luffy's mouth leave him, only for the other to lick up the shaft and then take the head into his mouth once more, running his teeth over it as he slowly took it all back into his mouth. Luffy had to admit that this was very different from what he expected, but considering it was Zoro he was doing it to, he didn't mind at all. It wasn't weird to him or anything. Though, the longer he continued this, the more he was becoming aroused as well.

Luffy kept this up for several minutes, noticing each time that Zoro's breathing because more labored. Zoro 's grip suddenly became very tight on his hair, which was an indicator that he was getting very close to his climax. It wasn't too long later that Zoro attempted to force words out of his mouth when he realized that it was becoming extremely difficult to hold himself back. "Luffy… y-you might want t-to…hah…I can't-"

The younger ignored Zoro, fully intending to see this through until the end. Zoro's words only caused him to suck harder to bring him to his climax faster. The elder managed to hold himself back for another minute or so before he couldn't any longer, and released himself inside Luffy's mouth.

Luffy hadn't been fully prepared for that, but he dealt with it all the same, swallowing all of it, and even cleaning Zoro up by licking any excess off. Luffy pulled back, licking his lips, and glanced up at Zoro, who was leaning against the wall, attempting to regain his senses. Zoro cracked an eye open at Luffy, silently watching the other. Luffy pushed himself up, pulling Zoro's boxers and pants up. He leaned forward and captured the elder's lips with his own, working on buttoning Zoro's pants.

Zoro parted his lips, allowing Luffy to snake his tongue inside and tasting himself in Luffy's mouth. When Luffy pushed himself closer to Zoro's body, Zoro could feel Luffy's problem press against him, and he broke the kiss to smirk at him. "Problem?" He asked, watching as Luffy smiled back sheepishly and nodded.

"Maybe a bit." He replied, laughing, and moving his arms around Zoro's neck.

Zoro glanced at his watch over Luffy's shoulder, resting one of his hands on Luffy's hip. "Well, we have a few more minutes left. Want to fix it?" His smirk widened and Luffy grinned back mischievously, responding to Zoro's question with another kiss. They had plenty of time to resolve this problem before going back to work. Zoro tugged Luffy closer, moving his hand to Luffy's clothed erection, intending on returning the favor.

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><p>It was about an hour before they usually got off work when Luffy approached Zoro again. He was very excited, and couldn't wait to get back to the apartment. What Zoro didn't know was that he had called and asked Franky earlier that day if the two of them could get off work a bit earlier than usual. Because it was Zoro's birthday, Franky immediately agreed, and they were allowed to leave an hour early, which would be right about now. "Zoro!" Luffy had the urge to throw his arms around the elder's neck, but refrained from doing so, knowing that he probably shouldn't when they were still inside of the restaurant.<p>

Zoro turned to the other, curious to what he sounded so excited about. "What's with you?"

Luffy clasped his hands behind his back and idly rocked on his heels, smiling wide at Zoro. "You know, because it's your birthday and all, I asked Franky if we could leave early today, and he said we could! But, just for today! And, we can leave now if you want to."

Zoro considered it, but he wasn't too sure if it would be a good idea. He'd probably lose some money if he did so, but if they only had an hour left, then he couldn't be losing too much money. It wasn't like he needed that extra amount anyway. And, Luffy was doing this for him. He couldn't turn it down. "Franky did say that, right?" He asked, wanting to make sure.

Luffy nodded. "Mm-hm. I just didn't tell you because it's sort of a surprise. But, that's what he said!"

"Okay. So now?"

"Yep!" Luffy grasped Zoro's hand and proceeded to lead the elder teen away from the back. "Can we go to my apartment? I want you to go too."

"I guess." Zoro replied as they left the restaurant. They walked in silence to Zoro's car, and that was when Zoro remembered something. "Oh, Luffy?"

Luffy glanced at him. "Huh?"

"Do you want to go somewhere soon? Maybe our next day off or something?"

Luffy stopped by Zoro's car. Of course he wanted to go out someplace with Zoro! Why wouldn't he? They hadn't gone somewhere together where it was just the two of them in a while. "Yeah, where are we going to go?"

Zoro stopped next to the driver's side, fishing his car keys out of his pocket. "I haven't decided. Is there somewhere you want to go?" He asked as he unlocked the car.

Luffy pondered on it, but didn't come up with much at the moment. "Hm, I don't know. But, I can think of something! Or you can, because it doesn't matter to me."

Zoro accepted that answer considering he had no idea either; he just knew that he wanted to take Luffy out somewhere soon. He'd come up with something if Luffy couldn't. It couldn't be that hard. If anything, they could always go to a restaurant or the movies. But, he kind of wanted to take Luffy someplace other than the usual spots people went to on dates.

The ride to Luffy's apartment wasn't very long. The younger jumped out of the car the second Zoro pulled up to the apartment building. "Come on, Zoro!" He exclaimed brightly, wanting nothing more than to get inside of the apartment. Zoro followed Luffy inside, wondering why Luffy seemed as excited as he was. The boy was usually excited about something or another, but never this much unless it was something big. He decided to simply shrug it off. If it was because of something big, he'd probably find out eventually.

Luffy led them to his and Ace's apartment. When he reached the door, Luffy opened it the tiniest bit, hoping that all of the others had seen that they'd arrived by now. When he saw that it was dark inside, he pushed the door the rest of the way open, stepping inside. Zoro was a bit skeptical as to why the lights were all off. "Why's it so dark?" He asked, closing the door behind him. "Isn't your brother supposed to be here or something?"

The younger giggled and flipped the lights on. The exact moment he did, Zoro realized why the lights were off in the first place. Also, the fact that a bunch of familiar faces suddenly popped out at him, told him the reason to why. "Surprise!" Nami, Vivi, Usopp, and Luffy, as well, all yelled at once. Zoro glanced around, spotting Ace and Shanks grinning on the couch; the three who had screamed were all in different parts of the living room, standing behind some piece of furniture from which they had been hiding; and Sanji was casually leaning against one of the walls with a cigarette, smirking.

Luffy hugged the elder teen. "Happy Birthday, Zoro! I invited everyone over!"

Zoro had not been expecting a party of any sort for his birthday; so, needless to say, he was slightly surprised that everyone was here. "I can see that." He replied, staring blankly at all of the faces.

Vivi stepped out from behind the wall she had hidden herself and approached the two. "I was happy to help with all of this, but why didn't you ever mention it was your birthday, Mr. Bushido?"

Zoro looked to the younger girl. "It wasn't important." He replied simply.

"Oh, but it is!" She then gestured in Sanji's general direction. "Even Sanji came!"

"Please," Sanji started while pushing himself away from the wall. "I only came because Nami-swan and Vivi-chwan did. Not because of Marimo here." He jabbed a thumb in Zoro's direction.

Nami glared at Sanji, and then looked to Zoro. "Don't mind him. And, I know we're not exactly close friends or anything, but Luffy asked and we thought it would be nice to do something."

"Yeah," Usopp interrupted. "we're still friends anyway."

Ace chuckled from the couch. "And, I would have helped, but it's difficult at the moment."

"You deserve something for your birthday too." Shanks added from beside Ace.

"See?" Luffy grinned at Zoro and laughed. "Everyone thinks your birthday's important! Not just me!"

"This was all Luffy's idea, you know." Ace stated. "We never would have known if it weren't for my awesome little brother."

"Luffy may have had the idea, but I had to plan it all out!" Nami exclaimed. She then pointed at the younger teen next to Zoro. "Who knows how this would have turned out if I weren't here."

"I brought food and Usopp helped with decorations." Vivi said.

Usopp moved to stand beside Vivi. "I got as many as I could find!" He exclaimed while looking around at his work.

Luffy's attention was directed at the table they had set up filled with drinks, food, and cake. "Oh!" He suddenly cried out. "Shanks bought the cake!"

The elder man smiled. "It was the least I could do." He offered.

Zoro didn't exactly know what to say to all of that. He'd never had people do something like this before for him. And, honestly, he never knew that they all cared enough to do this for him. He glanced over to Luffy. "You didn't have to do this." He felt, for some reason, that this was a little too much for someone like himself. Or, maybe it was just him who was thinking that way.

"We all wanted to! So, enjoy it!" Luffy looked as though he still could not contain all of his excitement.

Zoro didn't respond for a few seconds. "Well, everything is already set up. I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Of course not!" Luffy shouted. "Now, I really want some of that cake, so let's get that first!" He grabbed Zoro's hand and attempted to pull the older teen over to the cake. The second Luffy got to the cake, he proceeded to stick his finger in part of the icing without thinking, licking it off after.

Nami came up behind him and gave him a light slap on the head. "Luffy! That's gross! There are other people here too, you know!"

Sanji approached them all, picking the knife up from beside the cake. "Let's just give him that piece. I'll cut it." He rolled up his sleeves and began to cut the cake into precise pieces. Luffy practically salivated as he watched.

The cook was taking way too long to cut the thing though. "Hurry up, Sanji!"

"Be quite or you won't get any."

"But, that's not fair! Zoroooo, I can have some, right?" Luffy asked, pouting at the teen.

Zoro didn't even bother to glare at Sanji. "Yes, Luffy. Just ignore everything he says."

Luffy did just that, waiting very impatiently for Sanji to finish cutting the cake. After he cut it, he worked on putting enough pieces on each plate for every person there. "Here." He gave Luffy his, which the younger accepted gratefully.

Luffy then pointed at another piece. "Give me that one too." He ordered.

Sanji glared at him. "You can only have one piece!"

"But, it's not for me!" Luffy countered.

Zoro reached out and snatched the piece that Luffy had pointed to, handing it to Luffy wordlessly, this time returning Sanji's glare with one of his own. Luffy left Zoro's side in favor of walking over to where Shanks and Ace were sitting on the couch. "Here, Ace!" He thrust the plate out at his older brother.

Ace took the plate from Luffy. "Thanks, but I'm not you. I don't eat my food with my hands." He remarked, smirking at Luffy.

Luffy grinned back. "Right!"

While Luffy retrieved a utensil for Ace to use, Zoro decided to sit down at one of the chairs at the table. Luffy returned after giving Ace that, already diving into his piece of the cake, using his hands no less. Why bother with utensils anyway? He got comfortable on Zoro's lap and turned to look at the elder. "You should eat!"

Zoro smirked and wiped off some of the icing left over on the side of Luffy's mouth with his finger. "But, I am." He replied, licking the icing off.

"That's not eating." Luffy pointed out blankly.

Zoro removed more of the icing. "Oh, but it is. I'll just clean you up after you finish eating."

Luffy placed a piece of the cake in his mouth, licking his finger after. "Hm, okay."

The elder pulled Luffy closer to him, resting his chin on Luffy's shoulder. "I do have to admit that this is the best birthday that I've had." He muttered, absently watching Luffy stuff his face.

Luffy stopped eating. "Really?.!"

"Yeah, you've been the first to do this in a long time."

Luffy leaned back against Zoro. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"No, I just wanted you to be happy." Luffy stated with a smile, dipping his finger back into the icing once more.

Zoro reached for that same hand and lifted it to his face, cleaning the icing off of it. "I'm definitely happy."

Luffy pouted and Zoro laughed at him. "That was mine!"

"You're the one who told me to eat."

"Not off my finger!"

Luffy stuck his tongue out at Zoro, to which the elder responded by placing a hand on the back of Luffy's neck and pulling him closer for a kiss. He pulled away, smirking at the younger teen. "Yeah, this has to be the best birthday ever." Luffy instantly forgot all about the cake and grinned, leaning in for another kiss.


	27. XXVII: Date

I do not own One Piece or any of the characters.

A/N: Okay, so I'm still alive! And, I realize that this chapter took way too long than I would have liked to be written, but I'm not surprised since I knew this would happen once school started back up again. I have two chapters and an epilogue left to write. They will all probably take quite some time for me to write. I do not plan to give up on this story when I'm so close to the end, so no one should be worried about that. I've just been so much busier lately, it's ridiculous, and I still have things to do. But, regardless of that, I hope that everyone enjoys this long awaited chapter!

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><p>Zoro had thought about where he wanted to take Luffy on their next date for days after he suggested it. The good thing was that both of them wouldn't have work off on the same day until today, which had given him and Luffy as well, plenty of time to decide on the perfect place. Yes, it was nice to go to the movies or the park every now and again, but Zoro liked to take Luffy places the younger would enjoy very much. And, he just knew that this place they were going tonight would make Luffy extremely happy.<p>

He hadn't even thought about it, and he was glad that he happened to stumble across it. It was yesterday when he overheard some customer's conversation at the restaurant about the next festival coming up soon, and by soon, it was very next day, which would be today. The timing was simply perfect. Both he and Luffy were off work, and everything just fell into place.

The festival was this evening and cost very little. Though, with Luffy's eating habits, he'd probably end up spending a fortune on food, but he didn't care about that; he simply wanted Luffy to enjoy himself. He'd also heard those customers talk about all the games that were supposed to be there, and even numerous rides. Luffy would surely love something like that.

When he'd found out about this festival, he decided to find some more information about it. Not only was the thing close in days, it was also in the city, and not too far from where he lived. Despite that, he knew Luffy had no acknowledgement of it, or else the younger would have said something to him by now. It would make an awesome surprise, as well as a sort of thank you for everything Luffy did for his birthday a couple days ago.

He really wanted to take Luffy to this festival, and he planned to, but it would remain a surprise for Luffy until they actually got there. He hadn't said a word to Luffy about picking him up or anything today. It was a weekend, so they had lots of time. The best part about that was that they could stay out later, if Ace allowed it, that is. He was definitely going to tell Luffy's brother, so that the elder knew exactly where Luffy would be. He planned to do that when he picked Luffy up, which he was getting ready to do now.

The festival didn't start for another hour, but because Luffy didn't know he was coming, he'd probably need that time to get ready. While Luffy did that, he could talk to Ace about it, that way Luffy would still have no idea about where he was taking them.

Zoro surprised Luffy a lot; he loved to do it though. It was always great to see Luffy's face and eyes light up from so much enthusiasm once he found out what his surprise was. Granted, Luffy never liked having to wait for it when he knew there was a surprise, but Zoro thought putting Luffy through that bit of torture was always worth it in the end.

After finding out about this festival, a part of Zoro was glad that Luffy had never come to him about where they were going for their date. This was just the perfect place. Any other destination would not do now. As long as Ace was okay with it, then they were going.

Zoro finished getting ready, noting the time as well. There was only a little over an hour left by the time the festival started. He had plenty of time to get to Luffy's, and for the younger to change.

He grabbed his wallet, jacket, and keys, heading out the door, on his way to Luffy's and Ace's apartment.

* * *

><p>Because it was about seven in the evening, Luffy wasn't doing very much. He was bored out of his mind more than anything. The majority of his day was spent making sure that Ace had everything he needed, and watching whatever was on television with him, as well as talking about random things. He idly had wondered why he and Zoro hadn't scheduled to do anything today. They were both off work.<p>

Although, he could have called the elder teen and asked to do something, but he didn't mind spending his day off with Ace either. His brother still needed help with things, and Shanks wasn't always around to help, so it was up to him. Currently, Shanks was off somewhere; Luffy hadn't bothered to ask where he went.

Luffy stared at the television screen blankly. He had his feet kicked up on the coffee table and his arms crossed over his chest as he frowned at the screen. "This movie's kinda stupid." He admitted aloud.

Ace lifted the remote from beside him and changed the channel. "Agreed." He replied. The two sat there in silence for a few minutes, watching the show Ace had flipped to, before the elder spoke up again. "So, you and Zoro had nothing planned for today?"

Luffy shook his head. "Nope."

"Does he have work?" Again, Luffy shook his head no. Ace sighed. "Then, you two should have gone somewhere."

Luffy directed his attention from the television to his brother. "I know, but I also wanted to stay here with you since Shanks isn't here."

Ace smiled at Luffy, reaching out a hand to ruffle his hair. "Don't keep worrying about me. I'm capable of using my crutches to get around if I need anything. If you wanted to go out with Zoro, you should have called him."

"He could've been busy-"

"But, you wouldn't know that unless you had called." Ace interrupted, fixing Luffy with a stern expression. He was immensely grateful for all of the help Luffy provided, but sometimes the kid needed to think about himself more, because Ace was now strong enough to do things on his own without Luffy around all the time.

Luffy huffed. "Well, it's too late to do that now!"

"Exactly the reason why you should have done that earlier." Ace then pondered on it for a few seconds before picking up the phone resting on the coffee table. "But, you know, it might not be too late. You still want to call?"

Luffy considered it. He really would love to hang out with Zoro, but he felt that there just wasn't enough time to do something like that. It wouldn't hurt to call him though and ask. Luffy nodded. "I guess." He accepted the phone from Ace and set to dialing the first few numbers of Zoro's cell phone number.

He got to the fourth number when there was a knock at the door. Luffy stopped punching in numbers as he and Ace both looked to the door, wondering silently who would be at their apartment at this time. Luffy blinked and abandoned the phone, standing from the couch. "I'll get it!" He announced, happy that there was potentially someone to hang out with him and Ace maybe.

He raced to the door and opened it, not expecting to see Zoro of all people standing before him. "Mind if I come in?" The elder asked, smirking at Luffy.

Luffy grinned and opened the door wider. "I didn't know you were coming over! I was going to call you too."

Zoro stepped further into the familiar apartment. "I guess I saved you the trouble then."

"Why'd you come over?" Luffy asked curiously.

Zoro shrugged and began walking to the living room. "Can't really tell you that right now, but there's a reason."

They both entered the living room, and Ace looked to see who had been at the door, he also not expecting it to be Zoro. "Look, Ace! Zoro came and I didn't even have to call!"

Ace stared for a few seconds. "Funny how that happens." He remarked casually.

Luffy turned to Zoro, excitedly. "How long are you going to stay?.!"

"Not too long." Zoro noticed the slightly crestfallen look that adorned Luffy's face at those words, and made sure to elaborate on it. "But, that's because I'm taking you somewhere and we only have a little less than an hour, so you should get ready."

Luffy's expression immediately changed and now he wanted to know where they were going to go. "We're going somewhere? Where is it?.!"

Zoro allowed a smirk to form. "Can't say, but if you really want to go, then you should get dressed."

The younger pouted. "I am dressed, and I want to know!"

He tugged on Zoro's sleeve and the other sighed. "You aren't dressed for the weather outside and it's a surprise, so I can't tell you."

"But, you always give me surprises! I'm starting to not like them!"

"You say that now."

"But, Zoro!" The elder didn't respond to Luffy's whining. Ace watched the two, clearly amused, from the couch. When Luffy realized that Zoro wasn't going to give in, he gave up instead and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine." Then, Luffy directed his attention to Ace and faltered in his decision to go with Zoro. He didn't want to leave Ace here by himself. Especially since they didn't know when Shanks would be back, Ace could be here alone for hours. "Wait, I want to go, but-"

Ace was already ahead of Luffy and stopped him before he could say anything further. "Luffy, you and Zoro go have some fun. I'm sure whatever he has planned, you'll like."

"Are you sure?" Luffy asked worriedly. Going out with Zoro was great and all but if he had to at the cost of his brother being unhappy because of it, then they could always do it some other time.

"Go. I'll be just fine by myself for a few hours. It's not like I can't get around or anything!" Ace grabbed one of the crutches from beside him. "Remember these? I may not use them much, but I still can."

Luffy considered it before deciding to do what Ace said. If Ace said he'd be fine, then he would be because Ace never lied to him. "I'll go with Zoro then."

"Good. Now, didn't Zoro tell you to change?"

Luffy sighed dramatically. "Yeah, even though the clothes I'm wearing are fine!" He playfully glared at Zoro after that.

Zoro pointed in the direction of Luffy's bedroom. "Go change. And, put on some warm clothes. It's almost winter." He glanced down to the shorts that Luffy was currently adorning and his bare feet. "That means pants, socks, and shoes too. No sandals."

"I told you how much I like my sandals!"

"And, it's freezing outside, Luffy. You'll get sick. Just put on warm clothes, okay?" Luffy grumbled to himself, not exactly liking the fact that he had to layer up. He was more for wearing summer clothes because they were comfy and light. Zoro gave him a gentle push forward. "Get dressed."

"I'm going." Luffy muttered, proceeding to his bedroom to change. Considering he didn't wear a lot of clothing with sleeves or pants, this could take a while for him to actually find those clothes.

When Luffy was out of range of hearing them, Ace turned to look at Zoro and smirked. "Do I get to know where you're taking Luffy?"

Zoro pulled a chair up to sit in while he waited on Luffy. "Have you heard about any festivals around lately?"

Ace thought about it, but didn't recall anything like that. He wasn't one for keeping up with that sort of thing either. "Is there one?"

"In an hour. It's not far, but that's where we're going for a few hours." Zoro briefly explained. The rest could explain itself since it was a festival and everyone knew all the stuff that happened there.

"Luffy's going to love that." Ace replied, just knowing how excited Luffy would be if he knew where Zoro was taking them. "He loves those kinds of things. We haven't been to one in so long, he'll definitely be surprised."

"I figured. So, it's fine with you?" Zoro decided to ask, just for confirmation.

Ace laughed. "Of course. Yeah, you and Luffy have a good time tonight. If there's anyone I can trust Luffy to be with, it's you. Does he need any money?"

Zoro shook his head. "I have it covered. Don't worry about it."

"Just thought I'd offer if you needed it."

After that, the two talked about other things while waiting on Luffy. There was plenty of time, so Zoro wasn't concerned that Luffy was taking a long time to get ready. Meanwhile, the younger was digging through his closet, desperately searching for some clothes. He had no idea where they were going and he wanted to know, so the faster he could get dressed, the faster he'd get to know where it was Zoro was taking him.

Except, there was one small problem. The more he rummaged through his clothes and tossed them throughout the room, the more he noticed how little clothing he actually had for the winter months. He knew Zoro wasn't going to let him leave unless he was dressed right for the weather, so he just had to keep searching so that they could leave sooner.

At last, when Luffy reached the bottom of his closet, he successfully found a pair of pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a jacket that he'd forgotten that he even had. He quickly changed into those clothes and put on a pair of sneakers instead of his beloved sandals. When he accomplished that, Luffy left his room to return to Zoro and Ace, eager to leave.

"Can we leave now?.!" Luffy asked Zoro, clearly anxious to know what this surprise was going to be.

Zoro looked Luffy over before replying. "I guess this is the best you can do, so yeah. We can leave, but we might get there earlier than I thought."

"I don't care 'cause I wanna know where we're going!" Luffy could have been jumping up and down if he really wanted to simply because of his excitement and impatience.

Ace chuckled from the couch. "You two go and have fun tonight. But, Luffy, you better behave and listen to Zoro." He warned the younger.

"I will." Luffy replied. Then, he began tugging on Zoro's jacket. "Let's go! I wanna see!"

"Alright, alright. We're leaving." Zoro grabbed Luffy's hand to lead him toward the door.

Luffy turned and waved to Ace over his shoulder. "See you, Ace!" Ace returned the wave with one of his own as Luffy and Zoro left the apartment.

When the door closed behind them, Ace got even more comfortable on the couch, moving to lay down on it and placing his hands behind his head. There was no telling when Shanks would be back and Luffy was going to be gone for a few hours. He finally had the apartment to himself and could get a little nap in for the time being. There wouldn't be much else to do anyway.

* * *

><p>The entire ride there, Zoro had to put up with Luffy's constant grumbling, whining, and pleading for him to tell him where it was they were going. Just recently the other had finally shut up, deciding that there was no use in pleading with Zoro since the elder was not going to tell him anything. He still disliked this secret being kept from him.<p>

The further Zoro drove the more cars Luffy noticed. He didn't necessarily think anything of it, but he did notice it. Luffy shrugged it off and continued to watch the passing scenery through the window. It wasn't very long later that Luffy saw what appeared to be bright lights, and as Zoro got closer, lots of cars and tons of other people appeared.

Then, when Zoro made the last turn that was when Luffy finally realized where they were. His eyes widened at all of the huge attractions, lights, and people. Luffy would have been excited had he not been so surprised and captivated by everything at once. "Zoro… is this…?" He trailed off as they neared the grounds, looking up at a very tall ride as best he could through the window.

Zoro parked in the nearest available spot and turned to Luffy who was still in the process of admiring and taking everything in. "It looks like it doesn't matter that we're here early considering all of the people that are already here." He stated casually.

Luffy actually managed to tear his eyes and hands away from the window to look at Zoro. "So, we really do get to stay here?"

"Why would we be here if we weren't staying for a while?" Zoro countered.

The younger stared at Zoro for a few seconds before those words were processed thoroughly, in which his face slowly split into a large grin as the realization and excitement finally kicked in. "I can't believe you brought us here! I haven't been to one of these things in a long time!"

"Come on. Let's go in." Zoro got out of the car and Luffy did the same, bounding up to Zoro and following him to the entrance.

"This is so cool!" Luffy exclaimed as they walked closer, able to see all of the rides much better. Zoro paid for them both when they got to the entrance, leaving them to be able to do as they pleased inside. Luffy stopped to look around at everything. It all looked so fun and exciting. It was difficult for him to choose what he wanted to do first. "There's so much!"

Zoro glanced around too. "Well, pick something to do."

Luffy pouted. "But, I don't know what to choose first! I want food because it smells good, but the rides look really fun too! Then, there are tons of games!"

"Eating before getting on rides probably isn't a good idea." Zoro advised. "We'll eat later. Do you want to play games or do rides?"

"Um…" Luffy held a finger against his lips as he thought about it. He looked around at the various games nearby, debating on whether he should choose those over the rides at the moment. It was his decision after all. His gaze was drawn to one game in particular as he watched a man throw what appeared to be some sort of small ball and knock over a set of tin cans. The man had knocked every single one down in just one hit. He pointed at something and Luffy watched the woman working the booth hand the man a big prize. After that, he'd made up his mind. He wanted cool stuff like that too! "Games! I wanna do that one!" He pointed in the direction of the booth, the woman now placing the cans back in order and the man from before walking away with his prize.

Zoro gave Luffy a light push toward said booth. "Okay, you can do that one first."

Luffy was ecstatic when he reached the booth and he grinned widely at the woman who returned his grin with one of her own. She explained the different amount of tries you could purchase to Zoro who picked from them, selecting three tries for Luffy. The woman placed three of the balls in a row in front of Luffy. "The object of the game is to try and knock down as many cans possible with the amount of tries you have. If you succeed, you'll win a prize, but if you can knock them all down with one try, you get to select from the bigger prizes."

Zoro stood back to give Luffy a bit of room, tucking his hands into his pockets as he watched the younger. Luffy picked up one of the balls and took a few steps back, sticking his tongue out in concentration and adjusting his aim. He threw the ball and managed to knock over around half of the cans. Luffy pouted in disappointment while the woman set the cans back up for his second try. He really wanted one of those big prizes, so he had to knock them all over. This made Luffy more determined and he tried again, knocking all of them except two. He huffed and looked to Zoro. "This is hard!"

Zoro laughed. "You still have one more try left."

He gestured to the remaining ball and Luffy picked that one up, waiting for the woman to finish stacking the cans. This time, he attempted to be more precise with this aim, giving himself some extra time to try and get it right. He swung his arm, using his last try at knocking over all of the cans. Luffy was even more disappointed to see that he hit all but only one. It was better than hitting none and he'd still get a prize, but not one of the larger prizes which were the coolest ones. "You can pick anything from here and down." The woman gestured to a specific section of prizes.

Luffy placed his hands on the counter, leaning forward a bit to scan all of the prizes there. He decided on one of the smaller stuffed animals and turned to Zoro, still slightly upset about not winning one of the big prizes. "I wanted to knock them all down." He stated, looking dejected at not being able to do so.

The elder had plenty of money to spend on this thing and he didn't want Luffy to be upset because he didn't get what he wanted. "Was there something else you wanted?" He asked.

Luffy pursed his lips and looked through all of the larger prizes dangling from the top of the booth. He pointed at a specific stuffed animal. "That giant bear. I want that."

Zoro spotted what Luffy was pointing at and turned to the woman, paying for another round of three tries. "Do you want me to help you or do you want me to try it?"

Luffy thought about it and decided that he should let Zoro try it this time since he went first. "You can do it."

"You sure?"

Luffy nodded and Zoro picked up the first ball. Honestly, he didn't think the games around here were too difficult, but he was a lot stronger than many of the younger teens and kids that tended to play these games. Zoro threw the first ball like he would any other, but with a bit more force so that when it impacted the cans, the majority would fall. He actually managed to knock down every single one with just the first hit. Luffy's eyes lit up and he grinned. "You make it look a lot easier!"

Zoro shrugged. "It's not really hard for me."

"But still, that was awesome! Are you going to do it again?.!"

Zoro glanced down at the remaining two balls, picking one of them up. "Why not?" He smirked at Luffy, and after the woman set the cans up, threw that one as well, once again knocking down all the cans. Seconds later, he threw the last ball, succeeding in knocking them all down a third time.

Luffy's jaw dropped, clearly not expecting Zoro to have knocked them all down three times. "Very impressive." The woman stated behind the counter. She grinned and gestured to the large prizes hanging from the top of the booth. "You knocked them over three times, so you can pick any three prizes."

"Three?.!" Luffy exclaimed. He'd only really wanted one, but three was okay too.

Zoro pointed to the bear. "We want that one, and what else do you want, Luffy?"

The younger snapped out of his surprise to look at the rest of the prizes. "Don't you want one too? You won them."

"It doesn't matter."

Luffy grinned knowing that response meant it was all up to him to decide. "Okay, I want that one too." He pointed to another stuffed animal to which the woman got that one down also. "And, that one for Zoro." He pointed to a third one.

The woman grabbed the last one and handed them all to Luffy. "There you go."

"Thanks!" Luffy turned to Zoro. "Let's see." He plucked the stuffed animal he wanted to give to Zoro and held it out to the elder teen. "You can have that one and the rest are for me!"

Zoro chuckled and accepted the prize from Luffy. "All right. So, what's next?"

At that very moment, a man happened to walk buy carrying a bunch of bags of cotton candy. Luffy was immediately drawn to it and pointed. "That!" He grabbed onto Zoro's sleeve and proceeded to drag the other teen over to the man selling cotton candy.

Zoro bought the candy and after that they played some more games, only this time winning smaller prizes such as necklaces and things of that nature that were easier to carry around considering they already had a few stuffed animals to carry. Luffy didn't mind winning those smaller prizes because he had his big prizes Zoro won for him in the first game.

When they finished playing a couple more games, Luffy decided it was time for the rides. He picked out some of the faster, cooler looking ones first, even riding them more than once sometimes if he enjoyed the ride enough. Zoro tagged along with him, allowing Luffy to do all of the deciding. He didn't mind which rides they went on or what they did, as long as Luffy was having fun and was happy.

The games and rides took up the next two hours. They'd gone on every ride at least once aside from the ferris wheel since that was where they were headed to now. Zoro knew Luffy had to be hungry by this time, so once they finished with the ferris wheel, they could go and get something to eat. Luffy would most likely appreciate that very much.

"I've never been on a ferris wheel before." Luffy stated as they waited in line.

Zoro glanced at him. "Never?"

Luffy grinned. "Nope! Ace was the only other person to bring me to festivals and we never did ride the ferris wheel."

"Hm." Zoro averted his attention to in front of them as the line moved up for the next set of people to ride the ferris wheel. They were close to the beginning of the line, so they were also getting on next. Zoro grabbed Luffy's hand to help the younger up the stairs to the ferris wheel. "Well, you get to today." He replied, leading Luffy to one of the empty carriages.

They got in and Luffy couldn't help but stare out the window once they began moving up, watching as the people from below became smaller and smaller. It took some time, but they eventually reached the top, and Luffy was in awe at how high they were. He had his hands placed against the glass and his face not too far from it either. "We're so high up."

As Luffy continued admiring the view from the window, Zoro chanced a look out of his side as well, noting that they had to be close to the top by this time. He wasn't nearly as amazed by the height as Luffy was. This was Luffy's first time on a ferris wheel too, so it was understandable that the kid would be in awe for a bit.

Once the excitement of being so high in the air began to wear off on Luffy, he directed his attention to Zoro. "This is so much fun!" He exclaimed to the elder, grinning. "Thanks for bringing me here."

Luffy leaned forward to give Zoro a kiss and the other teen returned Luffy's grin with a smile of his own. "I figured you'd like it." Zoro replied, grasping Luffy's hand and lacing their fingers together.

"I love festivals! And carnivals and fairs too! Also, amusement parks are really fun. I love them all! But, it's even more fun with Zoro." Luffy laughed after his exclamations and statement.

Zoro couldn't help the warm feeling that enveloped him at Luffy's words. The younger was very happy to be here with him and that was really all he wanted in bringing Luffy here. It was nice to win prizes and get on the rides, but the only reason it was so fun was because they were together doing it. Zoro didn't think he could actually have this much fun with anyone other than Luffy. And, he sure as hell didn't care how broke he was going to be by the end of the night; that was for sure. As long as Luffy enjoyed himself and had a good time, he didn't care how much money he had to spend on him.

"So," Luffy began, casually glancing around the carriage. "do we get to eat after this?"

Zoro chuckled and ruffled Luffy's hair a bit. "Of course we do. You haven't eaten in hours. You were probably hungry a long time ago and just didn't realize it."

"I am really hungry…" Luffy noted aloud, absently poking at his stomach.

Zoro squeezed Luffy's hand. "It shouldn't be too much longer before we're off."

The other allowed a pout to adorn his features. "If I weren't so hungry, I'd stay here because I like being on this ride with Zoro."

"We can always come back to it." Zoro replied.

"We will, right?"

Zoro nodded. "If that's what you want."

Luffy smiled. "Okay, because I really want to." He looked out the window, seeing that they were now moving back down, getting closer to where they had started. Luffy gathered his prizes as they neared the end of the ride, and once they were allowed off, he jumped from the carriage, excited to finally get some food. "Let's go eat!"

Zoro let Luffy decide on what to eat since he could care less about what they ate. After that, they spent the rest of the night riding a couple more rides over again that Luffy wanted to ride. There was only about half an hour left before the festival was going to end, but before that there was a fireworks show scheduled for the last half hour. Luffy had no idea about this and so without making the younger suspicious of anything, Zoro succeeded in getting Luffy over to the area where everyone was gathered to wait for them to start. Luffy looked around at all of the people. "I wonder why everyone's here." He stated curiously.

The elder led Luffy by the hand to a clearer spot of grass, where not so many people were gathered. He moved to sit down on the ground, pulling Luffy down next to him as he did so. "Just watch."

"What are you-" Luffy stared to ask, but was interrupted as the unexpected fireworks began, one particular loud and large one setting off. Luffy's attention was now glued to the sky as many other fireworks began to light up the darkness. "Did you know there were fireworks?.!" He pretty much yelled to Zoro over the loud sound of the fireworks.

Zoro answered Luffy's question with a simple nod. Luffy grinned and resumed watching the fireworks. Shortly after, he scooted closer to Zoro so that he could rest his head on the elder's shoulder. "This is awesome!" He exclaimed excitedly, throwing out a fist at the same time. Zoro snaked an arm around Luffy's waist, pulling him closer.

He leaned down to steal a quick kiss from the younger and pulled back smiling. "Have fun?"

Luffy nodded, grinning back. "Lots of fun!"

"Good." Zoro placed one more kiss to Luffy's lips before going back to watching the rest of the fireworks.

The two teens finished watching the fireworks together, and when those were over, began to head back to Zoro's car since the festival was over at this point. So many others were either walking back home or taking their cars and so it was difficult to get out of the mess of people, but Zoro managed it after some time. The ride to Luffy's apartment was filled with mostly Luffy rambling on and on about how much fun the festival had been and how he wanted to go back another time.

When they arrived at Luffy's apartment, Zoro walked the younger to his door. Luffy giggled and gave Zoro a kiss, his arms also filled with all of the prizes he had won, as well as the ones Zoro won for him. "Tonight was fun!"

Zoro absently brushed a few strands of Luffy's hair away from his face. "I'm glad you liked it." He responded, pulling Luffy in for one last kiss for the night. "I'll leave now so that you can get some sleep for tomorrow." He chuckled and Luffy attempted to give him a last hug while still holding onto his prizes.

"Okay! I'll see you tomorrow, Zoro!"

The elder pulled away and took a few steps back. "Goodnight, Luffy." He replied, turning on his heel to head for the stairs.

Even though Zoro couldn't see it, Luffy grinned and waved. "Night, Zoro!" He yelled to the other. Zoro responded with a wave over his shoulder before disappearing down the staircase. Luffy turned to the door, opening it, and stepping inside of the apartment.

The lights were all off, but he could tell that the television was left on from the flashing light emanating from the living room. Luffy approached the living room, placing his prizes on the table that he, Ace, and Shanks all ate at along the way. When he reached the living room, he immediately noticed Ace's sleeping form on the couch with a blanket tossed over the majority of his body. His brother appeared to be sleeping and Luffy wasn't sure if he should wake him or not. Though, Ace's bed would feel much more comfortable to the elder than the couch.

Luffy reached the couch and plopped down on his knees onto the ground, stretching the upper half of his body over Ace's, suddenly feeling very exhausted from the last few hours. He yawned and lay there partially on top of Ace for a minute or so before he felt Ace shift from underneath him.

Ace blinked his eyes open not long after feeling a sudden weight on him, and looked to see none of other than his younger brother lying on top of him. He moved and proceeded to grab Luffy's arms to push the other up off of him. "Luffy, when did I become your bed?"

Luffy pulled away from Ace, watching as the elder attempted to sit up. Ace absently brushed a hand through his hair as he did so. "But, you're comfy." Luffy responded, frowning at Ace.

"Beds are for sleeping, not people."

"Then, why were you sleeping on the couch, dummy?" Luffy prodded Ace's cheek and the elder swatted his hand away.

"Because my leg's broken and I'm too lazy to move to my bedroom."

Luffy laughed. "My leg isn't broken, but I'm too lazy to go to my room too, so I can lie on Ace instead?"

Ace poked Luffy's forehead. "No, you can't lay on me." Luffy made a whining noise, but Ace chose to ignore it. "So, did you and Zoro have fun?"

Luffy immediately forgot all about his whining because of his excitement to tell Ace everything that happened. He told the elder everything he could think of, including the ferris wheel ride and all of the prizes that Zoro and he won, even showing Ace all of them. Luffy picked out his least favorite stuffed animal that he had won himself at one of the games and gave it to Ace. "You can have this one."

Ace accepted the stuffed animal, idly looking it over before placing it in his lap. "Sounds like you did have a lot of fun tonight."

"We did! I also got a prize for Shanks! Is he home?" Luffy asked, glancing around the apartment.

Ace also looked around, noting how quiet it was aside from him and Luffy. "I guess not. I fell asleep after you left and haven't been awake since, but he must have come home at some point because I don't remember falling asleep with this blanket." Ace picked at the fabric of the blanket as he talked.

"Oh well, I'll just give it to him tomorrow. He's probably out somewhere."

Ace shoved the blanket off of himself and moved his legs off the couch to place his feet on the floor. "It's late. You should get to bed." He grabbed his crutches and stood up. "I know I don't want to sleep on that couch any longer either."

Luffy stood up as well. "I'll lock the door and stuff, and then I'll go to bed." He replied.

Ace nodded. "All right, but try not to go to bed too late or it'll be impossible to wake you up tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry, I will! Goodnight, Ace!"

The elder went off in the direction of his bedroom. "Night."

Luffy proceeded to do what he said he would and locked the door, knowing it wouldn't be a problem for Shanks to get in later since the man had his own key to the apartment. Then, he gathered all of his prizes and went to his bedroom, dumping the stuffed animals on his bed and the other prizes on his dresser. He changed into his night clothes and climbed into bed, his body instantly relaxing into the mattress.

He felt that today had been very fun and he'd loved it, but he was pretty exhausted at the same time and it felt amazing to finally lie in his own bed once again. The longer he continued to lie in bed, the more his exhaustion took effect, and he began to feel even more tired than he had before. It wasn't that much long later that Luffy allowed sleep to take over, finally falling into a peaceful slumber for the night.


	28. Author's Note

A/N: I'm sorry to say that this is not a chapter. I'm writing this to let all of my readers know, or those left after theses couple months, about why I haven't been updating. The main reason is that I have fallen out of the One Piece fandom. I also have school things and college stuff to get ready for, but that would be the sole reason.

I was writing chapter 28 and got stuck at a certain point. Since then, I have not been able to get past it and so I ended up falling out of the fandom soon after before I could finish this story. I really would like to finish it since I have come so far and I'm not going to put this on a discontinuation just yet. I'll probably put it on a temporary hiatus as of right now, but I'm not sure how long it'll be. Probably until I get back into the fandom, most likely.

The part I'm stuck on is a scene I'm writing where Luffy and Ace exchange presents and I needed to figure out what they should give each other, but never could. A few friends gave me ideas, but none of them really appealed to me that much, so if any of you have ideas, please tell me in your review and I will consider them. Maybe I'll be able to use one! And, I will be sure to credit you for the idea if this does happen.

Anyway, that was the reason for this author note. I know I probably got some reader's hopes up for a new chapter, but I felt that since it has been a few months, that I may as well let you guys know that I'm still alive and why I haven't updated. I hope you all understand, and those of you who are writers yourselves probably do. I don't like making my reader's wait, but when you aren't into a fandom anymore, it's very difficult to write about it. That's why I have never been able to finish a multi-chapter story. But, hopefully I can finish this one eventually. Until then, please don't expect me to update any time soon. I have other stories I have started that I'm working on. Although, I'm not sure if I should upload them to livejournal or not. I get a little iffy uploading stories that I write about celebrities since they are real people. Anyone think I should?

Ah, oh well, that's all I wanted to say. And, remember, if any of you have ideas for that scene, just let me know! I'd really like some help figuring out what they should give each other. It would make it a whole lot easier on me! So, thank you for taking the time to read this if you did and we'll see when I can get an update out. Hopefully I can get back into the fandom soon, or at least before I begin college next year o.O


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